Conversation

Notices

1. AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Apr-2024 19:08:45 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

   in reply to

   To celebrate its 34th anniversary, the Hubble Space Telescope snapped this image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula (aka Messier 76 or M76), located 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Perseus.

   M76 has a two-lobed structure of colorful, mottled, glowing gases expanding into space. Blistering UV radiation from a super-hot dying star (the white dot in the center) is causing the gases to glow. The red color is from nitrogen, and blue is from oxygen.

   NASA, ESA, STScI
   https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-celebrates-34th-anniversary-with-little-dumbbell-nebula
   2/n

   • AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Apr-2024 19:08:45 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

     in reply to

     Birthdays are unfortunately also reminders of one's advancing age and creaky body parts 🙁

     The 34-year old Hubble Space Telescope has been down since April 23 due to a malfunctioning gyroscope, needed for accurate pointing.

     The same gyro caused Hubble to enter safe mode last November.

     Only 3 out of 6 gyros have been working since 2018. Hubble can operate with just one gyro at somewhat reduced functionality, but NASA is attempting to revive the faulty unit first.

     https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-pauses-science-due-to-gyro-issue/
     3/n

   • AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Apr-2024 19:08:46 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

     Happy Birthday to the Hubble Space Telescope, launched OTD in 1990, with Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-31 mission.

     34 years and 5 servicing missions later, Hubble is still going strong, unfolding the mysteries of the Universe from its perch 540 km above earth.

     https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahubble/albums/72157670398668526/
     https://hubblesite.org/home
     1/n