|
|
What's Outer Space like?
02 The world of the Hubble Space Telescope
There was a scientist who dreamed of setting up a telescope in outer space instead of on the Earth.
"If we can observe the stars from space, we'll be able to see much further and much clearer than from Earth, since the air will not hinder our view", the scientist thought.
And so, a revolutionary telescope was built for use in outer space -- the American Hubble Space Telescope.
The achievements from this Hubble Space Telescope were far greater than anticipated. We were able to discover that the age of the universe, which had been a longstanding mystery, is nearly 14 billion years old, and that oxygen and carbon was found in the atmosphere of planets that are not part of our own solar system.
 |
 |
 |
Mars, is the fourth planet from the sun. The white area that you can see near Mar's North Pole is said to be dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide. |
 |
|
 |
A galaxy is a huge mass of stars. This photo shows a spiral-type galaxy known as "NGC4414". In space, there are many more galaxies similar to NGC4414. In fact, it would take 60 million years to reach NGC4414 while traveling at the speed of light.
|
|
|
 |
This is called a Cartwheel Galaxy. It is believed that the Cartwheel was created when a galaxy passed through the center of a Spiral Galaxy similar to the one above. It is a indeed a magnificent tale.
|
|
|
 |
This image captured a part of the Galaxy M16 called the Eagle Nebula. This is a famous picture, which also includes a newborn star. What looks like a column is comprised of hydrogen and other gases. Stars that will be born are said to be hidden here.
|
|
|
 |
A black hole, hidden at the center of a huge galaxy known as Centaurs A, is swallowing another smaller galaxy. This absorption of galaxies is believed to have taken place during the beginning of the universe.
|
|
|
 |
This is an image of a galaxy 13 billion light-years away, which was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope working together with telescopes on Earth. It尽 believed that this light was emitted at the very early stages of the universe.
|
|
 |
|
|
