Repaired Hubble Captures Unique Galaxies, Including Arp 147
Hubble's Back in Business with Spectacular New Photo
The photos prove that Hubble is effectively up and running again after being out of commission for almost a month. On September 27, a malfunction occurred in the telescope's Control Unit/Science Data Formatter - Side A, according to NASA. Hubble was unable to relay data to Earth while efforts were underway to switch operations to Side B.
NASA said Hubble scored a "perfect 10", in reference to the galaxies appearing similar to the number ten in the photo, and they say it appears to be working just as it was before the malfunction.
The blue ring surrounding the galaxy on the right was probably formed when the galaxies collided, according to NASA. The red object in the lower left side of the photo most likely marks the spot where the original nucleus of the galaxy that took the hit had been.
Hubble hovers about 370 miles above Earth, and sends photographs to satellites stationed 22,500 miles above Earth. From there the data is sent to White Sands, New Mexico where a huge microwave antennae receives information. The next stop for Hubble's findings is "mission control", where flight controllers at the Space Telescope Operations Control Center manage Hubble day and night.
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland converts Hubble's data to the color images that we see when they are released to the public. The STScI website, at www.hubblesite.org, offers an online photo album of Hubble's work, as well as a movie gallery and Hubble news and information.
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 from the Space Shuttle Discovery. It is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, and orbits Earth every 96 minutes, according to NASA.
Sources:
Hubble Scores a Perfect Ten. NASA.gov.
NASA to Discuss Hubble Anomaly and Servicing Mission Launch Delay. NASA.gov.
Capturing Images. Hubble.nasa.gov.
HubbleSite.Hubblesite.org.
The Hubble Story. NASA.gov.
Published by Shannon Cotton
Shannon Cotton is a freelance writer living in Texas. After nine years of writing for a print publication, she has taken her love of writing to the web. She writes about parenting, lifestyle and a variety of... View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentThe photo wasn't published, but you can view it by clicking the "Hubble Scores a Perfect 10" link in my sources. Sorry about that.