If there are any Hubble haters out there, they should reconsider their attitude! The telescope operated by NASA and ESA has been on the Earth’s orbit for three decades now, and it had some very impressive achievements. Named after the great American astronomer Edwin Hubble, the telescope had an important contribution when it comes to determining the age of the observable Universe. Hubble also discovered that most galaxies are harboring supermassive black holes at their center, and a lot more.
Hubble will be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope next year in October, and the new cosmic tool will help astronomers learn more about the galaxy, star, and planet formation. But until the next telescope is deployed, feel free to feast your eyes on a new image captured by the good old Hubble:
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, SDSS, J. Dalcanton
Acknowledgment: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)
The Hubble Space Telescope operated by both NASA and ESA captured this image that reveals the galaxy NGC 2799 (the object from the left) as it’s being pulled towards the galaxy known as NGC 2798 (the object from the right).
Black holes are crucial for galaxy formation
Although you wouldn’t want to spend time anywhere near a black hole, these cosmic monsters are crucial for the formation of galaxies. Even our Milky Way galaxy has a supermassive black hole that’s powering its center, making the group of stars itself warping around the star eater. Black holes are known for swallowing cosmic objects due to possessing infinite gravity. An object falling into a black hole gets trapped there forever, and it’s amazing how such monsters can have a critical role in the existence of a galaxy itself. Without a supermassive black hole, there’s a chance that not even life could exist on Earth.
We’re eagerly waiting to find out what astronomers will learn about galaxy formation after the James Webb Space Telescope is lifted in space, as the upcoming scientific tool will orbit the Sun. This will grant a better view of our cosmic neighborhood than if the telescope would be placed on the Earth’s orbit.
