Hubble is about to retire, but it has changed people's view of the universe. How come?

Astronomer Edwin Hubble confirmed that the universe is expanding, which provided the basis for the big bang theory. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was named in memory of Edwin Hubble. Hubble telescope is the first core optical telescope placed in space. Above the atmosphere, above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble can observe the universe from a purer and more unique perspective. Astronomers all over the world are using Hubble data to study the farthest stars, galaxies and even Hubble volumes.

Planning for the Hubble Space Telescope began in the 1970s, and it was launched into low Earth orbit by the space shuttle STS-3 1 on April 24th, 990. Hubble Space Telescope is one of the greatest observatories in NASA, European Space Agency and even all mankind. Hubble Space Telescope was launched and deployed in April 1990, marking the most significant progress in astronomy since galileo telescope. Because of Hubble, our view of the universe and our position in the universe have never changed.

The length of Hubble Space Telescope is13.2m, the mass at launch is10886kg, the current weight is12247kg, and the maximum diameter is 4.2m.. Hubble Space Telescope is located in low earth orbit, with an altitude of 547 kilometers and an inclination of 28.5 degrees. Next, let's take a look at the timetable of the Hubble Space Telescope:

Deployment of Hubble Space Telescope:1April 25, 990. The first picture was taken on May 20th, 1990. This galaxy is NGC 3532. The first maintenance and upgrade service (STS-61):199365438+February, the second maintenance and upgrade service (STS-82):1997 February, and the third maintenance and upgrade service (STS-103):

The original equipment of Hubble Space Telescope includes wide-area/planetary camera WF/PC, Goddard high-resolution spectrometer GHRS, weak object camera FOC, weak object spectrometer (FOS) and high-speed photometer HSP.

A few weeks later, scientists noticed that the image returned from Hubble was a little blurred. Although the image is a bit blurred, astronomers can still study the universe, but this will lead to the failure of the original mission plan. A survey finally found the difference between the primary mirrors, which was due to the incorrect measuring instruments, resulting in the mirror edges being smoothed.

Engineers worked out a solution to the problem in a hurry, so as to solve the problem in time during the first scheduled maintenance mission of Hubble in 1993. In order to correct this error, NASA, the European Space Agency and astronomers made a set of equipment to correct the axial direction of the replacement optical space telescope. This is a new optical device, which compensates the aberration and makes all Hubble instruments work normally.

Shortly after the astronauts returned to Earth, the images returned by Hubble Space Telescope were much clearer than before, and NASA's maintenance mission was also very successful. Astronomers can now use full-featured space telescopes to observe the universe, while ordinary people can also see amazing photos of stars, galaxies, nebulae and other deep-space objects. Subsequent maintenance tasks have improved Hubble's ability, and Hubble has increasingly become the eyes of human beings to observe the universe.

1In February, 1997, STS-82 astronauts installed a near-infrared camera, a multi-target spectrometer NICMOS and a space telescope imaging spectrometer STI for the Hubble Space Telescope, which were used to detect the infrared rays of deep space celestial bodies and take detailed photos of celestial bodies. 1June, 1999, all six aging gyroscopes of the telescope were replaced, which can control the Hubble Space Telescope to aim at the target accurately.

STS- 103 astronauts also replaced one of the three precision guidance sensors of the telescope and installed a new computer. Subsequently, in March 2002, Columbia astronauts installed a new advanced investigation imaging equipment ACS for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has a sharper field of vision, wider field of vision and faster data collection and imaging speed than the Wide Area/Planet 2 imaging equipment. Astronauts also replaced Hubble's solar panels with more efficient arrays and repaired NICMOS.

Next, let's look at the scientific load of the Hubble Space Telescope. In fact, the scientific load of space telescope is very important, which will determine how far the telescope can see, and the farther it can see, the clearer it is, and the more favorable it is for astronomers' statistics. Hubble Space Telescope has three instruments for analyzing cosmic rays: imager, spectrometer and interferometer.

Hubble has two main imagers, which can capture images of the universe. These two systems, also known as Advanced Measurement Imager ACS and Planetary Wide-area Camera 3WFC 3, work together to provide excellent wide-area imaging in a wide wavelength range.

Advanced measurement imager ACS

ACS was installed on the Hubble Telescope in 2002, which is mainly used for wide-field images of visible light wavelength. It can also detect ultraviolet and near infrared light. ACS has three cameras and three different channels, which can take different types of images. June, 5438+October, 2007 10, an electronic failure made the two most commonly used channels unable to operate. In 2009, astronauts repaired one of the channels and restored the imager's ability to capture high resolution and wide field of view.

Wide area camera 3, WFC 3

WFC-3 was installed in 2009, providing extremely wide-field images of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. WFC 3 aims to supplement ACS and expand Hubble's imaging capabilities. Although ACS is mainly used for visible light imaging, WFC 3 detector can provide infrared and ultraviolet depth imaging and provide a more complete view of the universe.

spectrograph

Spectrometer is an observation device that can decompose light and observe its composition, similar to how a prism decomposes light into a rainbow. Any object that absorbs or emits light can be studied by spectrometer to determine the characteristics such as temperature, density, chemical composition and speed.

The origin of the universe spectrometer STI and the space telescope imaging spectrometer are complementary instruments of the Hubble Space Telescope. They can provide astronomers with detailed spectral data of various celestial bodies. These two sets of spectrometers work together, which provides a tool to analyze the spectrum of cosmic celestial bodies for astrophysical research.

interferometer

Hubble's interferometer has two functions, which can help the telescope maintain a stable target, and it is also a scientific observation instrument. The three interferometers on the Hubble Space Telescope are called fine guidance sensors, which can measure the relative position and brightness of stars.

When the Hubble telescope is pointed at a target, two of the three precision guidance sensors are used to lock the telescope. For some observations, the third kind of fine guidance sensor can collect scientific information of a target and detect the angular diameter of celestial bodies or the position of stars, which is ten times more accurate than that obtained by ground telescopes.

Fine guidance sensor is a very sensitive instrument. They look for stable light sources, a process also known as "guiding stars", and lock them to keep the telescope pointing steadily. When the light in the sky is not a point source, the fine guidance sensor cannot be locked, so there will be no process of guiding the star.

ACS advanced investigation camera

The advanced investigation camera ACS is the third generation imaging camera. This camera was optimized to perform imaging motion at a special angle, and ACS later replaced Hubble's target spectrometer. Its wavelength range extends from ultraviolet to visible light and near infrared (115 nm ~1050 nm). ACS has increased the discovery potential of Hubble telescope by 10 times.

Cosmic origin spectrometer COS

Space telescope imaging spectrometer STI is the second generation imaging spectrometer. STI is used to measure the spectrum of high-resolution targets. STI has the special ability to obtain spectra from multiple different points of the target at the same time. The mass of STIS instrument is 3 18 kg, and the wavelength range is115 ~1000 nm. STI can analyze the light of distant stars to determine the chemical composition, abundance, temperature, radial velocity, rotation velocity and magnetic field of celestial bodies. STI is also equipped with a coronation instrument, which can block the light of bright objects, so that it can investigate dark objects nearby.

WFC 3 wide-area camera 3, which is the main imager on the telescope. It has a camera, which can record visible and ultraviolet UVIS, that is, light with a wavelength of 200- 1000 nm. Its combination of visual field, sensitivity and low detector noise makes the infrared camera before Hubble increase by 15-20 times.

Fine guidance sensor FGS

The Federal Geological Survey provides pointing information for spacecraft by locking navigation stars. The Federal Geological Survey can also detect the rapid change of star brightness by accurately measuring the relative position of stars. There are three FGS on the Hubble telescope.

NICMOS near infrared camera and multi-target spectrometer

NICMOS near-infrared camera and multi-target spectrometer have the ability to obtain astronomical target images and spectral observations in near-infrared band. NICMOS is currently inactive, and most of its functions have been replaced by other scientific instruments of Hubble.

Hubble's extremely deep sky images are made up of nearly 7,500 images, which provide us with the face of the deep space of the universe, including 265,000 galaxies, dating back to 65.438+0.33 billion years after BIGBANG. The weakest and farthest galaxy is only one tenth of the brightness that the human eye can see, and the evolution history of the universe is also recorded in this picture.

Hubble Space Telescope is the human eye for observing space, and its scientific loads cooperate with each other, ranging from ultraviolet light to near infrared light. Over time, Hubble captured the key features of galaxies and cosmic regions, providing important data for astronomers to study the universe.

Although the Hubble Space Telescope is about to retire, it has brought us too many surprises and expectations in the past 29 years. Although we are looking forward to the arrival of the new space telescope james webb, the Hubble Space Telescope will not be forgotten by human beings, and its deep space observation data will continue to be studied. ...