A parting shot from outer space

John Calvin, Princeton, NJ — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:50:37 GMT

The Hubble telescope has forever entrenched its place in the long and powerful history of human achievements. A darling to many enthusiasts, it will be missed.

A parting shot from outer space

Alvin - Clarksville, TN — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:54:27 GMT

With all that has been observed and learned about our universe, a replacement for Hubble is sorely needed. So much of the value of our space program eludes the common man, but seeing these glimpses of the universe speaks volumes about the real value of NASA and all that work to keep it running.

A parting shot from outer space

W.H.WILLIAMS DALTON GEORGIA — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:05:47 GMT

SOME OF THE BEST PICTURES I HAVE EVER SEEN THANKS

A parting shot from outer space

Richard E. Walters, University Place, WA — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:56:04 GMT

The Hubble telescope has provided data of unimaginable richness for many years to the Earth's scientific and secular societies. We could not even begin to guess even at what would be discovered, however predecessors will provide even more adventures... In the meantime: Thank you Hubble telescope!

A parting shot from outer space

Miss Spare — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:35:01 GMT

Wow. If the new equpiment will make the pictures even better, we are going to be in for some amazing science! This should tied us over until the JWST.

A parting shot from outer space

Tulus Fernando- Kandana, Sri Lanka — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:38:18 GMT

"JUST INCREDIBLE"

A parting shot from outer space

Kermit R. Mercer, Clarkson, NY — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:55:41 GMT

About 1940 my first astronomy book; a present from my aunt,was yet another spring that propelled me into a life in science that I have never regreted. Who could have imagined the "Hubble" along with so many other fasinating instruments and inventors could have brought us this far into the world of knowledge.

A parting shot from outer space

Wade, Dalhart, Texas — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:02:43 GMT

The amazing views of the heavens from the Hubble tellescope have been monumental. What a time to have lived when this was made possible!

A parting shot from outer space

Tim, St Louis MO — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:42:53 GMT

I can't believe some of the amazing information that this camera has garnered for science. Hubble's not going away though, just getting a much-needed facelift. A technological botox shot if you will. And it is even named after a deserving man too. The Hubble is one of man's greatest achievements and ultimate successes.

A parting shot from outer space

Dave BC WA — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:44:55 GMT

Hopefully everything will go well. It would be a real bummer to replace something that seems to be working OK and then find out its replacement needs an adjustment and that’s not in the budget.

A parting shot from outer space

James A — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:16:32 GMT

About Hubble: What needs to be said other than Hubble has enriched our knowledge about the universe we live in? An undestatement! Hubble is awesome! Awesome!!!
And in addition, a comment about that New Yorker article regarding Star Trek: The writer Anthony Lane....where did his little mind crawl out from? Okay, Tony, Trek's had a few setbacks. Yet Star Trek has inspired so many people to great things that there isn't enough room here to list them. Do your research, or do you know what that word means?
Alan, perhaps you just got to give the anti-types a little floor space now-and-then. Oh well. So much for Alan Boyle.

A parting shot from outer space

Chris Reeve, San Francisco, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:33:06 GMT

It's worth noting that the bipolar formation is the characteristic shape of a laboratory plasma z-pinch. Astrophysicists are not actually taught what z-pinches are, so when they see them in space, they fail to recognize the likeness. Aristotle's empirical method demands that we consider likenesses between laboratory plasma experimentation and large-scale cosmic plasmas (these are not gases) to have roots in the same cause. It's pre-existing belief about how cosmic plasmas behave which constrains their interpretations. Plasmas can scale over 16 orders of magnitude, according to plasma researcher and IEEE peer-reviewer, Anthony Peratt, so our observations in the laboratory do indeed apply to space.

This COS upgrade to Hubble (COS stands for Cosmic Origins Spectrograph) will study the plasma filaments that crisscross the universe. Again, it's worth noting that within the laboratory, plasmas naturally form filaments, and these filaments are in fact electrical transmission lines. We observe plasma filaments (oftentimes in twisted magnetic form) on all scales of observations -- including interplanetary, interstellar and intergalactic. THEMIS, for instance, confirmed that magnetic ropes regularly connect the Sun with the Earth's atmosphere. There is also the double helix nebula that originates from the core of our own Milky Way. Magnetic ropes are called Birkeland Currents within the laboratory. But, again, astrophysicists are not trained to look for them in space. So, they've invented numerous terms to describe what they see. "Flux ropes", "magnetic ropes", "magnetic flux ropes", "field aligned currents", "plasma ropes", "plasma cables", "magnetic cables", "current constrictions", "plasma rays", "electrical tornadoes" and even "magnetic slinkies" and "elephant trunks" may all show up in searches through astrophysical journals. They are actually all the same thing -- Birkeland Currents. And when you see them, you know that the plasma is conducting electrical current. This is not the behavior of winds, fluids or gases. Within the laboratory, we observe that plasma filaments possess both long-range attraction and short-range repulsion with one another, with the force of the electric force. Astrophysicists like to imagine that the electric force is canceled on large scales (Debye shielding), but Debye shielding has nothing at all to do with Birkeland Currents. The transmission lines in fact possess limitless range. They are incredibly efficient. What's especially interesting is that they can also emit microwaves and sort out elements of the periodic table into these filamentary structures. A researcher named Gerritt Verschuur has identified 200 correlations between local galactic filaments and WMAP hotspots. It is possible that the CMB is nothing more than an electromagnetic fog.

In fact, an astronomer Fred Hoyle once noted:

"A man who falls asleep on the top of a mountain and who awakes in a fog does not think he is looking at the origin of the Universe. He thinks he is in a fog."

A parting shot from outer space

Kris McManis, Gainesville, Florida — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:12:51 GMT

This hubble photo looks just like the explosion on the cover of Boston's debut album :
http://www.ninjavspenguin.com/blog/2008/11/20/happy-birthday-roger/

A parting shot from outer space

Milky Way, Chesapeake Va. — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:18:35 GMT

getting close to the FIRST DAY... A CREATOR NOEBODYNOES???...NEVER WILL!!!...GETTING READY FOR THE FALL...DEADRISE...

A parting shot from outer space

Dr. Mike — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:38:52 GMT

When will we stop trying to apply our vague knowledge of physics to determine distance and "relative speed" of light? The universe has dimensions that we cannot even grasp yet.

A parting shot from outer space

James H, Sydney, AUSTRALIA — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:26:50 GMT

Bzzt, the Carina Nebula is an Emission nebula, not a Planetary. Still, HST took a lot of pictures of planetary nebulae.

[ALAN ADDS: James, I kinda wondered about that myself, and I was reassured by the classification included on this NASA page:

http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/NVA2~8~8~12498~113039:Doomed-Star-Eta-Carinae

[Planetary nebulae are a subset of emission nebulae, characterized by a central star that's in its death throes. Is Eta Carinae on its deathbed? Looks like she's about to blow, but no one can predict exactly when the end (which is expected to be spectacular) will come.]

A parting shot from outer space

Milt Long, Conyers GA — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:53:15 GMT

If we find a way to see the universe in a better manner or less costly we should opt for it. Until then the money we spend on Hubble is no "earmark" and should be spent with pride.

A parting shot from outer space

liz, Montgomery, AL — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:29:52 GMT

Wow! That's not merely enough to describe this but it will have to do

A parting shot from outer space

Eric, Salinas, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:55:12 GMT

Great article and pretty picture Alan. The link to click on K 4-55 is broken as we can't get a larger view. It was amazing how NASA was able to put corrective lenses on the incorrectly ground big mirror to correct it's flawed vision. A great launch yesterday and I can't wait for the astronauts to start doing the spacewalks to fix Hubble. More prety pictures will be forthcoming soon.

[ALAN ADDS: Thanks so much, Eric: I missed that step to link to the larger picture but that's now been fixed. All the best to you and all of Hubble's fans.]

A parting shot from outer space

Anthony, Melbourne, Australia — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:19:28 GMT

There is no doubt about it. If you had to name one invention other then the Wheel that change the world it would have to be photography. We take this invention for granted but it has given us so much and advanced our understanding of the arts, science and technology, Space ... the final frontier.

A parting shot from outer space

Jack Stanley, Houston, Texas — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:46:24 GMT

Let's not write Hubble's obituary just yet. With the latest servicing mission, we should hopefully get another 10 years of amazing photos from this wonderful technological achievement. The Hubble servicing missions are a fine example of what mankind can accomplish in space.

A parting shot from outer space

tool — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:11:16 GMT

Color-coding? Isn't that another way to say "it's so photoshopped"?

A parting shot from outer space

Tunes — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:16:59 GMT

GOD'S hands have finally reached us in such a magnificient way and that we can ALL see.

A parting shot from outer space

Dan Drake, Whitby, Ont. Canada — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:21:43 GMT

I hope they keep Hubble going long after they put the new one up there. I see no reason to get rid of it at this point. Much better having two up there, they can see a lot more in a shorter time period.

A parting shot from outer space

David Bresson, Upland, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:40:15 GMT

QUESTION: When the Hubble looks into deep space is it seeing the object in real time or earth time? Will it see a supernova as it happens or years later as the light reaches the earth? I would think it is just magnifying the light that reaches the mirror. Therefore the supernova which the article refers to has happened hundreds of years ago...not in a future few days. Inquiring minds need to know.

A parting shot from outer space

tberry, abingdon md — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:46:38 GMT

John Calvin, the Hubble isn't going anywhere, the old camera is.

A parting shot from outer space

Paul, Denver Coloradao — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:53:57 GMT

This is one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20th, everyone who has any knowledge of this equipment should be both elated and upset.

Kenneth Kleinkennecht (Former NASA Engineer) once told me, "I worked on Gemini, Apollo and other such missions, but I wish I could have been there for that."

Thank you for all your hard oustanding work NASA! Thank you Hubble!

A parting shot from outer space

Armando Sanchez, Whittier, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:54:30 GMT

The Hubble, and the persons who built and maintained it, changed the way we see our universe and ourselves. Thank you!

A parting shot from outer space

Glennie Fernando - Sri Lanka — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:58:13 GMT

Bye and Thank you Hubble for the fantastic views and deep inshghts you have given me - given Man - about our Universe. we see Life in a different way through your eyes.

A parting shot from outer space

Erron Silvermoon — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:05:42 GMT

This article was somewhat misleading. It seems to imply that hubble is done. It is not, they are just replacing the older camera with something new. Hubble will still be there, so there is nothing to "miss"

A parting shot from outer space

Vincent Anton, Toms River, New jersey — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:06:48 GMT

good bye hubble space telescope

A parting shot from outer space

HECTOR, LAREDO TX — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:08:17 GMT

HUBBLE RULES!!!

A parting shot from outer space

AmateurAstronomer, NY — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:08:32 GMT

Kudos to the Atlantis team working hard to keep this national treasure up and running as long as possible. Hubble will gain at least another decade of life after this service mission. The payoff for the entire human race is priceless.

A parting shot from outer space

Antoinette — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:49 GMT

Awestruck by the Hubble and what's it brought to us. We can accomplish so much! It makes me proud.

A parting shot from outer space

John Ford, Los Angeles, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:13:43 GMT

Hubble is not being decommissioned! Instead, it is getting a new, improved "wide field camera". With an even stronger camera, Hubble should be able to find even deeper universal gems. Yet despite these advances in optics, I often wonder if NASA will ever find all of the dangerous asteroids near the earth.

A parting shot from outer space

Valerie Reynolds, Duffield, Alberta — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:14:15 GMT

The Hubble Telescope did well to sight The Tear Drop (Bubble) of Nebula Star in space. Thanks for the image that will be treasured in our minds. Job well done.

A parting shot from outer space

Kevin A, Crystal lake, IL — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:22:40 GMT

Considering the cost of a space shuttle flight being up to a billion dollars a pop, I'm surpised they didn't just spend the extra money (maybe $100-200 million) and build a new telescope to go with the camera. Then we'd have 2 awesome cameras up there to explore with.

A parting shot from outer space

John Doe, Seattle, Wash — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:22:42 GMT

Well it it's time for another Hubble-type telescope,.....let some other government pay for it. I'm tired of having my U.S. tax dollars spent for the good of humanity, only to be derided and hated by the rest of the world. Step up, China. How 'bout you Russia. Y'all have lots of oil money. Hey United Arab Emerates, why not spend some of your oil money on something good for the planet instead of indoor ski slopes, thoroghbred horses, and a replica of Churchill Downs. France? Germany? Italy? Japan? ....Anybody? Iran?...Buehler?...Anybody?

A parting shot from outer space

Alan Pals — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:23:21 GMT

Given what Hubble has provided mankind, can someone please tell me why they can't bring it back to Earth after it's service life is finished? It should be classified as a great achievement of Science and a national treasure and saved from destruction. Why can't it be placed in the Smithsonian with other great inventions? Is there something about it I don't know that would prevent this?

[ALAN B. ADDS: I've just added a little bit to the item in hopes of explaining this. The short answer is that the telescope appears likely to outlast the space shuttle fleet, and currently there's no other space vehicle capable of bringing Hubble down through the atmosphere intact. Now, if someone could develop and launch a new type of space van in the next five or 10 years, there might be a chance...]

A parting shot from outer space

Kae Z, Belleville, New Jersey — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:27:49 GMT

Well that's pretty rad! watching a dying star... Let's just hope the sun doesn't die on us

A parting shot from outer space

Linda, Robert Lee, TX — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:29:42 GMT

The Hubble is a great thing created by man and tells us a lot about space but that alone should tell us how small we are in this vast universe and should put aside our petty differences and wars for space on this tiny planet and see how much we can accomplish working together as a human race that can succeed at anything when we look at the bigger picture.

A parting shot from outer space

Larry Toomey, Philadelphia, Pa. — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:30:27 GMT

So, about this Eta Carinae, do such explosions happen fast? It looks like an exploding photo-flash bulb, something I had plenty of experience with 50 years ago, that was caught on film by another camera using a high speed lens or stop-action photography.

A parting shot from outer space

Vincent N. Mursuli, Sr., Lugoff, SC — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:32:26 GMT

It pleases me to no end that we are going to repair this marvelous machine to extend it useful life. Once it's days are ended, I hope we send up a "Hubble II" so that the work begun by the first can be continued.

A parting shot from outer space

RICHARD CAMPBELL — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:37:56 GMT

Hubble to me as set a standed that will last a long time in each and every human mind on earth.Never in our history as one items created so much buzz about space and it many solar systems.Hubble as open our understanding on our place in the universe,and what a grand view it is.

A parting shot from outer space

Ric Corbin, Vienna, VA — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:39:15 GMT

If you see my Grandma up there say hello for me.

A parting shot from outer space

John Whitehouse, Santa Rosa, CA — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:42:22 GMT

The Eta Carina nebula is definitely not a planetary. Planetary nebulae are the death throes of stars of modest size becoming a white dwarf. Eta Carina is an enormous star, acting more like a Wolf-Rayet star shedding "excess" mass in pulses. Its death throes will more likely be as a supernova than a white dwarf.

A parting shot from outer space

John Doe — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:45:40 GMT

Nerds.

A parting shot from outer space

Debra Rutter, Roseburg, Oregon — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:56:41 GMT

I cannot thank NASA and others who contributed photos to this collection enough. I spent a wonderfully blissful morning looking at these spectacular images while having my "quiet time" with my cup of tea. I cannot remember when I felt so in awe of the universe. Thank you most sincerely.

A parting shot from outer space

ekrash — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:04:35 GMT

Looks like a proto galaxy with two forming galactic arms...maybe in another 5-6 billion years.

A parting shot from outer space

cbutler — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:46:31 GMT

We're a computer class that's learning about weblogs. Thanks for all the good information about Hubble.

A parting shot from outer space

Betty — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:00:38 GMT

Have we touched the face of God?

A parting shot from outer space

Bloggerrich — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:07:43 GMT

I haven't been able to find the magnification specifications. Does anybody know what the magnification power is on the WFPC2 and what it will be on the Wide Field Camera 3?

No doubt it should be much greater on the new camera.

A parting shot from outer space

Delmar Fairchild, Barron, WI — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:19:29 GMT

Alan:
I like putting these type photos you have as my computer background. I get so many people asking me what the pictures are. I have fun telling them they are from millions or billions of years ago and we are just now seeing them for the first time. It is so hard for some people to understand the concept. I explain the time it takes our sun's rays to hit the earth. It helps them somewhat, but to fathom light that has traveled billions of years are now being caught in the minutest time frame can be a bit overwhelming for some.
I even suggest, that maybe we are looking at what our own galaxy looked like a billion years ago.

A parting shot from outer space

Alan Boyle — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:28:16 GMT

Great, Delmar: It's amazing to realize that we're seeing galaxies from a time before our own sun was formed. That's something we often take for granted, even when we hear that the galaxies are X billion light-years away.

A parting shot from outer space

Space Nerd — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:34:15 GMT

@ David Breeson: Whether we are observing from Earth or in the space around it, every star we see is in a "past" form. If it is one lightyear away, we are seeing it as it was a year ago. 1 billion lightyears, then we are seeing it as it was 1 billion years ago. The only way to see it in "real time" would be to travel to the actual star/planet/nebula/etc. It's neat to have a kind of "time machine", but it would be even better to know what is out there NOW. Hope that helped.

A parting shot from outer space

roog, locust grove, va — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:43:46 GMT

Without naysayers, life would be boring. Keep on truckin' Hubble!

A parting shot from outer space

a syed, pittsburgh pa. — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:05:40 GMT

The pictures of the Hubble telescope are all colored artificially.If they are showed exactly as pictured it would be impressive.Otherwise it is comic book art.

A parting shot from outer space

Jcull78, Esko Mn — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:35:16 GMT

Hubble has triggered a constant of wanting to learn and discover for me and I hope it's the same for others. I just want to give thanks to everyone that made that possible cause it has changed my aspect on everything and everyone.

A parting shot from outer space

KAYLA ST. PETERS, MO — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:04:51 GMT

HUBBLE HAS BEEN AN OPENING EYE TO OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE..... I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT AN UPGRADE WILL BRING US! SPACE IS AN INFINITE MYSTERY AND LITTLE BY LITTLE WE'RE TURNING THE SUSPENSEFUL PAGES.... I AM INTRIGUED AND DUMBFOUNDED BY THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDS US, THAT WE'VE ONLY BEGUN TO SEE THANKS TO NASA & HUBBLE!~ AND OF COURSE WE TAX PAYERS. :)

A parting shot from outer space

John Bradley, Charlottesville, Virginia — Wed, 13 May 2009 03:19:15 GMT

To Chris Reeve: excellent expositional contribution.
To John Ford: NASA spotting all the incoming? They can't even keep up with the junk they're creating.Which is what makes things so....interesting for the present crew aloft.
In early march of this year, an object dubbed 2009 DD45,30-40 meters wide, travelling at 8.82 kilometers per second came within 72,200 km of of our planet. Astronomically speaking, this is very close. Nothing to worry about; the impact would only have been 10-15 megatons. The warning time was 3 days, but might as well have been 3 years. There is no real contingency plan in place.
Limited efforts have been made to identify some of the larger objects, but Brownian motion and budgets have prevented stellar results.

A parting shot from outer space

Frank Glover, rocchester, NY — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:55:36 GMT

"Will it see a supernova as it happens or years later as the light reaches the earth? I would think it is just magnifying the light that reaches the mirror. Therefore the supernova which the article refers to has happened hundreds of years ago...not in a future few days. Inquiring minds need to know."

Of course it's basically a big light collector, like any other telescope. The speed of light doesn't change just because the Hubble telescope is looking at it. If you point it at Alpha Centauri, it's seeing light that's been enroute for about 4.5 years.

Hubble's advantage is being above the atmosphere where that light would be distorted, some wavelengths absorbed (HST can see somewhat into the infrared as well. But infrared is strongly absorbed by water vapor in the lower atmosphere) and weather/daytime is not an issue, allowing more time for observations.

But the light it sees is just as old as it would be for anyone else...

A parting shot from outer space

Wade Whitlock, Aberdeen, MD — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:37:51 GMT

The grand old warhorse carries on! A moment to rember Lyman Spitzer who pushed it, the engineers who designed it, the technicians who built it, a certain instrument manufacturer who shall remain nameless and the astronauts who have, and will, nurture and nurse it! The pity is that the thing cannot be recovered for the Smithsonian!

Now, let's all show our reverence for Hubble and start using only objective and verifiable facts in the discussions. Drop the fairy tales and superstitions, please.

A parting shot from outer space

RB2, ne, indiana — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:41:44 GMT

one wonders that if two such space telescopes were positioned on opposite sides of the Earth and both were pointed at the same area of space, would they be able to generate a 3D "photo", showing a region of space with depth?

A parting shot from outer space

briana anderson fairfax vrigina — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:38:57 GMT

wow that is soooooo cool when i grow up i wanna be a ashronut................but usally when i tell ppl they also say why or your wired or something like that but i dont reall y care