Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope has become a household word since its launch in 1990, famed for bringing the world unique and spectacular views of the cosmos. In its image-filled pages, Hubble: An Overview of the Space Telescope tells the story of the telescope’s history, design, operation, science, and more.

In celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary, explore 25 of Hubble’s breathtaking and significant images. From planets in our own solar system to snapshots from a time when our universe was very young, these images are presented according to their distance from Earth, from near to far. Along with companion descriptions and videos, the 25 images highlight the telescope's amazing capabilities.

The Hubble Space Telescope has become a household word since its launch in 1990, famed for bringing the world unique and spectacular views of the cosmos. In its image-filled pages, Hubble: An Overview of the Space Telescope tells the story of the telescope’s history, design, operation, science, and more.

How did NASA engineers build and launch the most ambitious telescope of all time? Follow the dramatic story of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most complex machine ever launched into space. If it works, scientists believe that this new eye on the universe will peer deeper back in time and space than ever before to the birth of galaxies, and may even be able to “sniff” the atmospheres of exoplanets as we search for signs of life beyond Earth. But getting it to work is no easy task. The telescope is far bigger than its predecessor, the famous Hubble Space Telescope, and it needs to make its observations a million miles away from Earth—so there will be no chance to go out and fix it.

From the authors of "How to Find the Apollo Landing Sites," this is a guide to connecting the view above with the history of recent scientific discoveries from the Hubble Space Telescope.