Announcements

26 August 2020: On 24 April 2020, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope celebrated 30 years of science discoveries that have revolutionised nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology, and its countless pictures are unmistakably out of this world. ESA/Hubble has launched various initiatives to celebrate this special occasion, which included an invitation to the general public to submit Hubble-inspired creations to be used for ESA/Hubble outreach activities. Artistic creations of all kinds were encouraged, and the submissions received included drawings, paintings, sculptures, music and poetry that were all inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope. More than 130 creations were received from around the world from professional and non-professional artists and creators alike. The ESA/Hubble team was delighted by the variety of the submissions, as they truly demonstrated the public’s love for Hubble and how we can creatively celebrate special milestones during times of isolation. A Flickr album and …

27 April 2020: On 24 April 2020, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope celebrated 30 years since its launch. It has since surpassed all expectations, beaming back data and images that have changed scientists’ understanding of the Universe and the public’s perception of it. To mark this special occasion, ESA/Hubble has developed two new special Hubblecasts. Hubblecast 128: 30 Years of Science with the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble’s discoveries have revolutionised nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology, and its pictures are unmistakably out of this world.Hubblecast 128 revisits some of Hubble’s biggest science discoveries throughout its three decades of operation. Hubblecast 129: Hubble’s Collection of Anniversary Images Each year, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope dedicates a small portion of its precious observing time to taking a special anniversary image, focused on capturing particularly beautiful and meaningful objects. To celebrate Hubble’s 30th anniversary, Hubblecast 129 looks back at the …

24 April 2020: While many of us are staying at home during these challenging times, ESA/Hubble is inviting you to get creative to help us celebrate Hubble’s 30th birthday! On 24 April 2020, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope will be celebrating 30 years of science discoveries that have revolutionised nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology, and its countless pictures are unmistakably out of this world. ESA/Hubble has launched various initiatives to celebrate this special occasion, and the latest project invites the general public to submit Hubble-themed artwork. A selection of submitted artwork will be featured in future ESA/Hubble outreach activities. Artistic creations of all kinds are encouraged. This includes drawings, paintings, photography, sculptures, and graphic designs that thank and celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope. Inspiration can include: Hubble’s 30th anniversary The Hubble Space Telescope spacecraft Hubble’s scientific achievements Hubble’s beautiful imagery We also invite you to create …

23 April 2020: On Friday 24 April 2020, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope will be celebrating 30 years of science discoveries that have revolutionised nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology, and its countless pictures are unmistakably out of this world. At 13:00 Central European Summer Time on 24 April 2020, a press release will be published on spacetelescope.org featuring the new anniversary image in addition to other commemorative visuals. A Hubble 30 Press Package will also be available at the same time. This release will also include two new Hubblecasts for the Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th anniversary. These documentary-style movies will be offered for download and use in several formats on the spacetelescope.org website. One features some of Hubble’s biggest science discoveries throughout its three decades of operation, and the other looks back at the beauty and science behind each of the anniversary images unveiled as of …

10 April 2020: While many of us are staying at home during these challenging times, ESA/Hubble is inviting you to get creative to celebrate Hubble’s upcoming 30th birthday! On 24 April 2020, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope will be celebrating 30 years of science discoveries that have revolutionised nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology, and its countless pictures that are unmistakably out of this world. ESA/Hubble has launched various initiatives to celebrate this special occasion, and the latest project invites ESA/Hubble’s social media followers to wish Hubble a Happy 30th birthday by preparing a birthday cake. You can make your cake out of traditional kitchen ingredients, or we also invite you to get creative by making a unique birthday cake made from other materials, such as paper, crafts, modelling clay, or Lego blocks! We invite you to share your creations with us by taking a picture or …

19 March 2020: As reports continue about the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), this Announcement details the updates for the planned Hubble 30th Anniversary Image Unveiling events. The health and safety of visitors and organisers of Hubble 30 celebrations events remain our top priority. The original plan was to have unveiling events taking place on or shortly after the anniversary date of 24 April. ESA/Hubble is now shifting its vision to instead hold events in the coming months that are a general celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope’s splendid 30 years. We understand the spread of the coronavirus may impact the feasibility of hosting public events, particularly those with large audiences. We are therefore flexible with regard to the new dates for the Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th anniversary image to be featured at various European facilities. The showcasing of the image may form part of a general Hubble celebration event any time after the …

5 March 2020: The power for the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's scientific discoveries comes from solar cells. Designing and constructing Hubble's first two sets of solar cell arrays, and the accompanying Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM) and Solar Array Drive Electronics (SADE), constituted a huge technological achievement for the European Space Agency (ESA) and European industry. After an in-orbit life of more than 10 years, the ESA-built solar arrays were replaced by new, more powerful arrays. However, ESA’s SADM and SADE, which control the telescope’s current solar arrays, are still on board and under ESA purview. They are among the telescope’s oldest subsystems. In December 2019, the accumulated slew angles of the SADM had reached 1 000 000 degrees of travel. This travel began accumulating on this day 18 years ago, 5 March 2002, when ESA’s solar arrays were replaced during the Space Shuttle Servicing Mission 3B. “This milestone is a special occasion …

4 March 2020: Due to the aggressive spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Europe, and in order to comply with ESA guidelines, a decision has been made to postpone the conference Science with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes — Entering a golden age for UV - Optical - IR astronomy, sponsored by ESA in collaboration with the University of Stockholm. Previously scheduled for 30 March to 3 April 2020, the event will now take place from 14-17 September 2020. The conference will still be held at the Hotel Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden. For registered event attendees and those interested in learning more about this event, please refer to this webpage for more information, including how to rebook and/or cancel your attendance. Notes The original ESA/Hubble announcement detailing the event details can be found here.

24 February 2020: To celebrate the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s 30 incredible years in orbit, ESA/Hubble has selected over 30 education organizations and institutions across Europe to receive high-quality large-format prints of Hubble’s anniversary image for display. Events will be held on and after 24 April to unveil the 30th anniversary image to their respective communities. The list of chosen host institutions is provided below: Belgium Genk: vzw Kattevennen – CosmodromeBrussels: Planetarium of the Royal Observatory of Belgium Czech Republic Ondřejov: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrno: Brno Observatory and Planetarium Denmark Copenhagen: Cosmic Dawn Centre Finland Helsinki Observatory / Helsinki University Museum France Toulouse: UPS In SpaceParis: Société Astronomique de France / Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (French Astronomical Society / Science and Industry Museum) Germany Zeulenroda-Triebes: Universe Dimensions - SpaceScience EdutainmentBochum: Zeiss Planetarium Bochum Greece Athens: …

11 December 2019: This Hubblecast explores how the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s observations differ across different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, and how these observations will be complemented by those of the upcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube, or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available on the Hubblecast website. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube.

25 October 2019: We are excited to announce the sixth conference in the series Science with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes — Entering a golden age for UV - Optical - IR astronomy, sponsored by ESA in collaboration with the University of Stockholm. It will be held in Stockholm, at the Hotel Hasselbacken, between 30 March and 3 April 2020. Next April, we will celebrate Hubble’s 30 splendid years of scientific contributions to all branches of astronomy. At the same time, the countdown is accelerating towards the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, planned for March 2021. Webb’s unique combination of sensitivity, near- and mid-infrared wavelength coverage and spatial resolution promises to revolutionise our view of the Universe. Working in synergy, these two observatories will push the boundaries of knowledge against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving astronomical landscape. In space, GAIA will soon have completed its nominal high-precision astrometric …

15 October 2019: To celebrate the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s 30 incredible years in orbit, ESA/Hubble will deliver high-quality large-format prints of Hubble’s anniversary image for display at informal education venues across Europe. ESA/Hubble has now released the open call for proposals. In order to submit an application, the applicant (on behalf of the associated institution) must agree to the following terms in respect of the Hubble 30th anniversary image unveiling: Hold an image unveiling event in celebration of Hubble’s 30th anniversary in orbit on or after the date and time we provide. We also welcome proposals for creative electronic image unveilings. Ensure a strong media presence at the event and encourage press coverage, including social media coverage. The event must be free and open to the public. Engage with social media by tweeting or uploading pictures of your event on Facebook. Identify a long-term plan for displaying the Hubble anniversary image (e.g., …

30 September 2019: In April 2020 the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope will celebrate 30 years since its launch. Hubble has delved deeper into the early years of the Universe than was ever thought possible, played a critical part in the discovery that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and probed the atmospheres of planets around distant stars. It has transformed the way the public sees the universe by presenting breathtaking and profound images of newborn stars to the oldest known galaxies. To celebrate these three decades of success in science, engineering and culture, ESA/Hubble will present a series of initiatives to involve the public in the celebrations. The first of these is a social media competition that will explore hidden gems from the ESA/Hubble image archive. These are images that are not as well known as the Top 100 Images, but are also truly beautiful. From 30 September to 10 November 2019, …

24 September 2019: ESA/Hubble is pleased to announce the release of the Hubble Catalog of Variables, the first full, homogeneous catalogue of variable sources based on archival HST data. The HCV was developed over four years by a team of astronomers at the National Observatory of Athens, led by Alceste Bonanos and sponsored by ESA in collaboration with STScI. The HCV is now available to the community via the ESA Hubble Science Archive (eHST) at ESAC and MAST at STScI, and can easily be explored using the HCV Explorer, a visualisation tool developed at ESAC specifically to navigate the HCV and look up your favorite object(s) or field(s)! Despite not being a survey telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has obtained multi-epoch observations under multiple, diverse observing programmes. This provides the opportunity for a comprehensive variability search that aims to uncover new variables over a range of magnitudes that is difficult to reach …

24 June 2019: Every year on 30 June, the global “Asteroid Day” event takes place to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect Earth from possible impact. The day falls on the anniversary of the Tunguska event that took place on 30 June 1908, the most harmful known asteroid related event in recent history. This week, a team of astronomers, planetary scientists and software engineers based at ESA and other research institutes has launched a new citizen science project: the Hubble Asteroid Hunter. The project was developed as part of the Zooniverse – the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. The new project features a collection of archival Hubble images where calculations indicate that an asteroid might have been crossing the field of view at the time of the observation. Everyone can participate! By identifying the asteroids potentially present in these images and marking the exact …

12 June 2019: Transits — an object moving between the parent star and the observing telescope — not only allow to detect exoplanets orbiting distant stars, but also to infer many of their properties. This Hubblecast explores what we can learn from these transits, what Hubble has done in this field and what we can expect to learn through the upcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube, or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available on the Hubblecast website. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube.

29 April 2019: The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) has announced a Call for Applications to attend the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Master Class. The class will provide dedicated JWST proposal training to selected researchers who are willing to share their knowledge with scientists at their local/regional institutions. The original announcement from STScI can be found here. The European Space Agency (ESA) will provide a similar opportunity to European astronomers. A similar JWST Master Class will be organised at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in the first week of February 2020. The workshop will last approximately 2–3 days and will include topics related to JWST proposal planning, user tools, instrument modes, science cases, documentation, resources, and guidance regarding the education and dissemination of these topics to others. Approximately 10 astronomers will be selected to participate in the European JWST Master Class. These Master Class graduates will host one proposal-preparation training activity/mini-workshop …

18 April 2019: On 18 April 2019 Hubble is celebrating its 29th year in space. For this anniversary NASA and ESA dedicated a small amount of its precious observation time to take a look at the beautiful Southern Crab Nebula. This beautiful nebula is created by the ejected material of a red giant, which is in close interaction with a white dwarf star. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube, or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available on the Hubblecast website. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube.

8 April 2019: For 29 years, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been expanding our cosmic horizons. Not only has Hubble revealed and shared the beauty, wonder, and complexity of the Universe, but it has also brought astronomy into the public eye, greatly impacting our culture, society, and art. On 8 April 2019, the Our Place In Space exhibition premiered in Las Cruces exhibition at the Mesilla Valley Mall, led by ESA Hubble Space Telscope Project Scientist Antonella Nota. Developed in partnership with in partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute and the European Space Agency, this is the first time that Our Place In Space has been hosted in the United States. This art exhibition features large images from the Hubble Telescope that are on display at eight locations around the city, alongside pieces created by local artists. By seamlessly integrating perspectives from both artists and astronomers, Our Place in Space inspires …

3 April 2019: Right after the Universe started with the Big Bang, the cosmos was dark. Only the first stars created millions of years later brought light. These first stars and their radiation drastically changed the Universe during what is known as the epoch of reionisation. This Hubblecasts talks about this important time, what Hubble has shown us so far, the open questions and what we can expect from future missions. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube, or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available on the Hubblecast website. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube.