A space telescope in low Earth orbit, jointly operated by NASA and ESA since 1990. A flaw in its main mirror, discovered after launch, was corrected by a 1993 Space Shuttle servicing mission; it has since produced some of the most detailed images ever taken of distant galaxies and helped refine the measured rate of the universe's expansion.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (visible, ultraviolet and near-infrared) 1 MeasuresUltraviolet, visible and near-infrared light 2 Operating PrincipleA reflecting telescope orbiting above Earth's atmosphere, avoiding the distortion the atmosphere causes for ground-based instruments 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Operated By
Jointly operated by NASA and ESA; NASA holds primary operational responsibility.
Sources
1. HubbleSite
Space Telescope Science Institute, for NASA and ESA
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationHubble Space Telescope, introductory sectionQuote, Hubble Space Telescope, introductory section
its five main instruments observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationHubble Space Telescope, Concept, design and aim: Proposals and precursors sectionQuote, Hubble Space Telescope, Concept, design and aim: Proposals and precursors section
Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images
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