Hubble's Back in Action

Refurbished telescope can see further, with more color

(NEWSER) - NASA released the first shots from the recently upgraded Hubble Space Telescope today, and the results are spectacular. Thanks to the new imagers installed in May, Hubble can now see farther, with greater clarity and a wider color spectrum, reports NPR. Officially, NASA calls it a new beginning for the telescope. Unofficially, astronomy enthusiasts call the images “space porn.” Click "slideshow" at left to see them. More»

(NEWSER) - The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to budge at first. The spacewalk is the first of five planned over the shuttle's 11-day mission to service Hubble. More»

Tech issues shut down telescope for 3 weeks

(NEWSER) - The malfunctioning Hubble Space Telescope could resume its space photography tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reports. NASA scientists have reconfigured software that shut down the telescope last week. “There does not appear to be any permanent damage,” said a Hubble manager. “We're ready to resume recovery.” If all goes well, Hubble should be good to go for six years. More»

Hanny's Voorwerp creating 'lonely' stars 'in the middle of nowhere'

(NEWSER) - The Hubble Telescope has turned its gaze to a mysterious glowing green blob that’s creating stars where stars shouldn’t normally form. Dubbed Hanny’s Voorwerp, after the Dutch elementary school teacher who first discovered it in 2007, the blob is a swirling mass of hydrogen gas, caused by a close encounter from two galaxies, astronomers tell the AP . It’s illuminated by a quasar lodged within one of those galaxies. More»

Debris from extremely recent collision

(NEWSER) - The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a bizarre X-shaped object with a comet-like streak of dust behind it, NASA announced yesterday. Scientists believe the images represent an extremely recent asteroid collision, with a small rock, perhaps 10-15 feet wide, colliding with a larger, roughly 400-foot-wide one. When they first sighted the image in January, researchers thought the collision had just occurred, but now they date it to early 2009. More»