【Ireland】

The IrelandHubble Telescope turns 30 on Friday, marking three decades of space exploration and scientific discoveries. To celebrate, NASA has collected some of the most iconic, stunning images the bus-sized instrument has taken across its lengthy career.

The Hubble Telescope was launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in 1990, releasing its first image less than a month later. Though relatively unimpressive by today's standards, the monochrome picture of star cluster NGC 3532 was a leap in image resolution when compared to ground-based observations at the time.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Astronauts have upgraded the Hubble Telescope five times since then, and its photography skills have significantly improved. Capable of detecting ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light, the Hubble Telescope has made over 1.3 million observations and contributed data to over 17,000 scientific papers. Scientists have used its data to map dark matter, observe black holes, and even prepare the New Horizons spacecraft for its 2015 flyby of Pluto.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

The Hubble Telescope's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, may be scheduled for launch in March 2021, but Hubble isn't quite done yet. The invaluable astronomical research tool will continue to operate until at least June 2021 — and hopefully beyond.

Looking like a so-called "Cosmic Reef," the red nebula (NGC 2014) and its blue companion (NGC 2020) shine 163,000 light-years away. NASA released this Hubble Telescope image in honor of its 30th anniversary. Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI Taken in 2014, this image shows the Eagle Nebula's famous Pillars of Creation 6,500 light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team Newborn stars in the center of the Monkey Head Nebula push away dust clouds in this 2014 image. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team The hexagon at Saturn's north pole is clearly visible in this image taken in 2019. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team Young star cluster Westerlund 2 is only around 2 million years old and contains approximately 3,000 stars. This image taken across multiple exposures from 2013-14. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team Spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194), aka the Whirlpool Galaxy,  is accompanied in this 2005 image by small galaxy NGC 5195. Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team This 2018 image of the Lagoon Nebula shows newborn giant star Herschel 36 pushing away dust. Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI This image taken in 2004 shows star V838 Monocerotis illuminating surrounding dust in the Monoceros constellation, 20,000 light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team This Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet's trademark Great Red Spot. Hubble's yearly monitoring of Jupiter helps researchers learn more about this gas giant. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) Taken across 2004-05, this image shows the two spiral Antennae galaxies merging. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration;Acknowledgment: B. Whitmore (Space Telescope Science Institute The Cat's Eye Nebula, formally known as NGC 6543, can be seen in all its glory in this 2004 image. Credit: NASA, ESA, HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team

• Tech
• Science
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Life
• Deals

• MacBook Air reviews: 4 features critics loved, 4 they didn’t
• How to turn off FaceTime's resizing bubbles with iOS 13.5
• Apple's iPhone 12 might come without EarPods
• Multiple bombshells hit Trump after he boards plane, internet asks #HasDonaldLandedYet
• Get a Smart AcousticPlus acoustic electric guitar for $199.99
• Coronavirus and the power of playing games
• China looks to retaliate against U.S. over ‘unreasonable suppression’ of Huawei
• Tips for dealing with Donald Trump that also work with a toddler
• LinkedIn launches ‘Zip,’ a brain
• Breaking Trump news inspires everyone to make the same ice cream joke

• The emotional moment Obama waves goodbye to D.C.
• Chelsea Clinton shuts down trolls who targeted Barron Trump
• Tristan Trump stole the show from his grandpa on Inauguration Day
• This is how self
• Here's what everyone was dying to know during Trump's inauguration
• Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer has an odd, long
• Golf balls programmed with Nissan’s self
• Women in this country are marching for their right to go out
• Fall movie preview 2019: Awards contenders to watch
• 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' review: A magical must

• LAFC vs. Colorado Rapids 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Champions Cup for free
• Joe Biden's Clinton 'diss' wasn't so bad
• The 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' intro recreated using stock footage is a work of art
• Apple launches 2 new Pride
• Colman Domingo’s Craigslist love story with husband Raúl has the internet swooning
• One social network ranked worst for young people's mental health and wellbeing
• Samsung Terrace is an outdoorsy TV that doesn't mind a little rain
• The 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' intro recreated using stock footage is a work of art
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for March 18, 2025
• 'Apple Glass' could start at $499 with support for prescription lenses

• Trump administration to allow African elephant trophies back into U.S.
• Pedro Pascal shouts out the stuntmen who helped create his Mandalorian
• Wolf Blitzer, a man of simple and pure tastes, loves turtles
• ACLU warns that 'no replies' on Twitter could violate the constitution
• Best outdoor deals: Save up to 50% at REI and Amazon to prep for camping season
• Presidential pets, ranked
• Miley Cyrus performs 'The Climb' in honor of 2020 graduates
• 'Time' magazine's latest cover is a bold shot at Donald Trump and Russia
• Camera lenses literally melted during the solar eclipse
• Apple launches 2 new Pride