One of the reasons that scientists wanted to send the Hubble Telescope into space was to be able to capture photos of galaxies that we haven’t known before. From its inception in 1946, astronomers were excited about the prospect of being able to take photos of new galaxies from the Hubble Telescope and learn more about space and our world. They certainly weren’t let down.
It only took a few days after it was launched before the Hubble Telescope began taking photos and once researchers began to focus the Hubble on various galaxies, the pictures that came back were awe-inspiring. We have known that there are many galaxies out there in space for many years, but what the Hubble was able to find was beyond astronomers’ wildest dreams.
What exactly is a galaxy? Well, it is a system of about 100 billion stars. Our Sun is a member of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is sometimes just designated by capitalization: Galaxy. There are billions of galaxies in the observable universe. Exactly when and how galaxies formed in the Universe is a topic of current astronomical research. That is where the Hubble Telescope comes in.
NASA researchers started positioning the Hubble so that it could explore parts of space that had yet to be explored. Once they found a new galaxy, all they had to do was push a button and hundreds of photos were taken and transmitted back to Earth. Then they would study the photos of these galaxies that came from the Hubble Telescope and then release those findings to the general public. The buzz that was generated in the astronomical community was incredible.
While we’ve known that there are more galaxies than just the Milky Way Galaxy, the launch of the Hubble Telescope as well as the photos that it produced just confirmed those thoughts and gave astronomers even more to talk about. In fact, the photos that came from the Hubble were so amazing that it sent thousands of amateur and professional astronomers into the night to peer through their own telescopes to see what the Hubble was seeing.
If you are an amateur astronomer, try to find galaxies of your own through your telescope and then take photos just like the Hubble has done. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you will see. Perhaps you will make the next huge discovery in space. Maybe your photo will be featured on an astronomy website. Or maybe you just want to keep it to yourself.
While the Hubble Telescope was designed to take photos of new galaxies, amateur astronomers can look for themselves as well. But take a note from the Hubble and try to find what it has found. Then you will truly be on your way to an amazing discovery through the eyepiece of your telescope.
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