Quick Facts About Hubble
| Organization | NASA & ESA |
| Type of Orbit | Circular |
| Orbit Period | 96.8 minutes |
| Orbit Velocity | 7554 m/s |
| Mass | 11,000 kg (24,250.85 lbs) |
| Wavelength Measures | Optical, ultraviolent, near-infrared |
Introduction
Introduction
The Hubble Space Telescope was first launched into Earth's orbit in 1990. The telescope was named for Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953), whose greatest discovery was his theory of the expanding universe. This discovery was the foundation of the Big Bang theory.
Hubble's technology has allowed astronomers to make observations that have allowed them to make ground-breaking discoveries about the universe. During its time in orbit, Hubble has undergone three servicing missions to improve its technology.
Instruments on Board
The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) is the reason the Hubble is able to capture such vivid photographs. It is the telescope’s primary camera. It is able to take precise pictures of images from far distances. The telescope is equipped with 48 filters, which enables scientists to observe the exact wavelengths of light. This camera is extra special because it does not require any film. Rather the camera has “four postage stamp-sized pieces of high-tech circuitry” called Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs). CCDs gather data from the objects, such as stars and galaxies, to form the pictures. CCDs are able to take pictures of objects very far away because they are sensitive to even the faintest light.
Out with the Old in with the New: Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS, 2002) v. Faint Object Camera (FOC, 1990-2002) The FOC had the ability to single out specific stars inside far-off star clusters. Many of its images were built up over long exposure times, and then converted into digital information, sent to earth, and finally put together to form the actual images. The FOC was good for examining quasars, the actual surface of stars, and globular clusters. But there was an even better camera than the FOC. The ACS replaced the FOC as part of the third mission to improve the Hubble. The ACS has a much wider field of view, it can take sharper quality images, and it has an enhanced sensitivity to light. The ACS made the Hubble ten times more effective. It is made up of three cameras: the wide field camera, the high resolution camera, and the solar blind camera. They each have individual responsibilities. The wide field camera is used for taking broad surveys of the universe. The high resolution camera takes very detailed pictures of the inner regions of galaxies, searches neighboring start and planets, and takes up close pictures of the objects in our galaxy. The solar blind camera has to focus on the “hot stars radiating with ultraviolet wavelengths.” In addition, the ACS can map the distribution of dark matter, searches for massive planets, detects most distant objects in the universe, and studies the evolution of clusters and galaxies.
The Hubble is equipped with three Fine Guidance Sensors. The sensors help the telescope point directly to its target in order to assure accuracy. The sensors also take part in scientific experiments, such as finding the “true distance scale for the universe."
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS- 1997) “provides a wavelength fingerprint of the object being observed.” This fingerprint can essentially tell us the temperature, the chemical composition, the density, and lastly the motion of the object. STIS is also used to search for black holes in the universe.
The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS- 1997) is the Hubble’s “heat sensor.” It sees the objects that are billions of light years away from Earth. The NICMOS is equipped with three cameras that all have their own fields of view. This permits the telescope to capture images in the near infrared wavelengths. Scientists are able to use this information to help us learn more about the universe’s past, present, and future. It helps us answer questions such as, how did our planet begin its existence?