Novinky

Hubble rebirth after Servicing Mission 4

Astronomers declared the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope a fully rejuvenated observatory ready for a new decade of exploration, with the release of observations from four of its six operating science instruments.

European angle
ESA contributes a 15 percent share to Hubble's development and in return European astronomers receive a guaranteed 15 percent share of observing time. In practice the high quality of proposals from scientists in
Europe has kept their average share at above 20 percent. ESA's contributions to Hubble have been vital and veteran astronomers can lend much to the public's understanding of the sheer power of the observatory and the significance of the discoveries it makes.

Servicing Mission 4
After thirteen intense days of space surgery in May and more than three months of calibration and testing, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is ready to show off its new capabilities. Ten stunning new main Hubble images (accompanied by supplemental images and videos) that represent the observatory's renewed vitality will be revealed on Wednesday, 9 September 2009. Expert European astronomers working with Hubble will be available by phone/e-mail to answer questions about the newest images.

Hubble Anniversary
April 2010 will mark the 20th anniversary of the launch of the iconic telescope. A project that took more than 13 years from final approval to get to the launch pad, Hubble is responsible for many of the most recent fundamental cosmic discoveries, including a more accurate estimation of the age of the Universe and the characterisation of black holes.

Source: www.spacetelescope.org