On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its launch , the Hubble Space Telescope is being honored worldwide by scientists and astronomy enthusiasts, while the mission team is joining in the celebration with a new impressive collection of images from the universe .
Hubble began its journey on April 24, 1990. It was designed to observe the universe with extraordinary precision and clarity, surpassing the capabilities of ground-based telescopes at the time.
In its 35 years of continuous operation, Hubble has made approximately 1.7 million scientific observations, contributing to the production of more than 22,000 scientific publications.
See also: Beautiful Hubble image took 20 years to create
“The legacy of the Hubble telescope is a bridge between what we knew and what we are about to discover about the vast and wondrous universe,” said officials from the European Space Agency (ESA), which manages Hubble with NASA. “Before Hubble, no one had seen the depths of space so clearly and vividly — a glimpse that reaches back almost to the dawn of time.”
ESA has released a new set of stunning images to mark the telescope's 35th anniversary. The images capture a range of astronomical phenomena — from the changing seasons on Mars to stars shaping their surroundings into spectacular cosmic "paintings."
Impressive frozen portraits of Mars
Among the new images, a striking depiction of Mars stands out. The planet appears “clothed” with thin clouds of water ice, which are clearly visible in ultraviolet light.
The images were taken in December, when Mars was about 98 million kilometers from Earth — the time when the planet's northern hemisphere was entering spring. During the winter, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere freezes, creating a thick layer of ice at the north pole. As temperatures rise, this layer begins to evaporate, leaving behind only a thin layer of ice as a remnant of winter.
A star that dies and gives birth to celestial beauty
Another image takes us to the planetary nebula NGC 2899, located in the constellation Vela. This glowing cloud, colored by hydrogen and oxygen, is sculpted by strong winds and radiation from an extremely hot, dying star at its center. Astronomers suspect that two stars may be involved in shaping the gas. The image reveals two white stars, near the center, with a blue orb slightly below and to the right.
See also: Hubble reveals secrets hidden in the Big Dipper
Dark clouds in the Rosetta Nebula
Hubble has captured a stunning image of a small but extremely active region of the Rosetta Nebula. Against the bright, colorful backdrop, dark clouds of hydrogen gas mixed with cosmic dust stand out.
These dense clouds are not simply static formations—they are constantly changing and shaped by the intense radiation emitted by a group of active stars at the nebula's center.
A dazzling swirling galaxy
Hubble's latest image, released to mark its 35th anniversary, captures the spiral galaxy NGC 5335, a distant cosmic formation in the constellation Virgo.
NGC 5335 is notable for its chaotic and fragmented structure. Its disk is dotted with regions of intense star formation.
Its spiral arms are not clearly defined as in other galaxies; instead, thin, almost faint formations rotate gently to the left, starting from the center and extending towards the periphery.
Another notable feature is the bright, elongated "bar" that runs through the center of the galaxy. This bar, made up of stars and gas, acts like a "corridor" that funnels matter toward the galaxy's core, fueling the creation of new stars. According to scientists, such structures are temporary: they form, change, and eventually dissolve over billions of years.
See also: James Webb and Hubble join forces to solve the mystery of planet formation
Hubble's photographs are truly more than impressive — they're almost poetic. They manage to combine science with art, capturing not only the vast richness and complexity of the universe, but also the deep human need to understand and connect with the unknown.
Each image—whether it's a distant galaxy, a star-forming nebula, or a planet like Mars—reminds us of how small we are in the universe, but also how amazing it is that we can observe it in such detail. Hubble has essentially given us "eyes" to peer back in time.
These images are not just data or observations. They are windows into worlds we cannot imagine, but bring them a little closer.
Source: www.space.com
