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Hubble Space Telescope
| The Hubble Space Telescope as seen from the Space Shuttle Discovery during the second servicing mission of the telescope, STS-82
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| Organization | NASA, ESA |
| Wavelength regime | optical |
| Orbit height | 600 km |
| Orbit period | 100 min |
| Launch date | 24 April 1990 |
| Deorbit date | circa 2010 |
| Mass | 11,000 kg |
| Webpage | http://hubble.nasa.gov |
| Physical Characteristics |
| Telescope Style | reflector |
| Diameter | 2.4 m |
| Collecting Area | approx. 4.3 m2 |
| Effective Focal Length | 57.6m (189 ft) |
| Instruments |
| NICMOS | camera and spectrometer |
| ACS | survey camera |
| WFPC2 | wide field camera |
| STIS | spectrometer and camera (failed) |
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope orbiting the Earth at the outer edges of the atmosphere. It is a space observatoryA space observatory is any object in outer space which is used for observation of distant planets, galaxies, and other outer space objects. Introduction A large number of observatories have been launched into orbit, and most of them have greatly enhanced in the Great Observatories programNASA's series of Great Observatories satellites. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was called the Space Telescope (ST) before being named. Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was called the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), before being named. Chandra X-ray Observ. Named after Edwin HubbleEdwin Powell Hubble ( November 20, 1889 September 28, 1953) was a noted American astronomer, generally credited for discovering 1 and proving redshift and that the universe is expanding. Hubble was born to an insurance executive in Marshfield, Missouri an, it was launched into orbit in 1990 as a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency. Initial optical errors were corrected in 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic., and high-quality imaging begain in 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an. HST is projected to continue operating until 2009Years in the future 2009 Articulo futuro 2009 is a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). Predicted Events January 20 George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States is due to end. A new President will be inaugurated., when funding is expected to be moved to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Working outside the atmosphere has advantages because the atmosphere obscures images and filters out electromagnetic radiation at certain wavelengths, mainly in the infrared.
By carrying diverse instruments and dividing time between many astronomical projects from all over the world, Hubble has contributed to an extraordinary variety of astronomical discoveries. Among the most notable are the confirmation of dark matter, observations supporting the current accelerating universe theory, and studies of extrasolar planets.
