Merging galaxies, now that’s sexy
In honor of the HST’s 18th birthday last month, NASA/ESA published a page of photographs of merging galaxies. The idea for satellite telescopes goes back to the 1920s, but the HST didn’t launch until 1990, and a significant problem with it’s original mirror wasn’t corrected until 1993. Despite its importance in key scientific discoveries over the last several years, the HST may fall into disrepair before its eventual replacement is launched in 2013.
The galaxy to the right, Markarian 533, is in the constellation Pegasus, over 400 million light years away.
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- Published:
- 6.1.08 / 3pm
- Category:
- Journal
- Tags:
- astronomy, photography, science
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