NASA releases stunning photos of planets, far-flung galaxies to mark Hubble anniversary

On April 24, 1990, all 24,000 pounds of the Hubble Space Telescope were tucked away inside the Discovery space shuttle when it launched into space. Thirty-five years later, NASA says Hubble has proven to have "opened a new window to the universe," with more than 1.6 million observations to date filled with compelling and surprising images of galaxies, planets and our own solar system. 

To celebrate the anniversary milestone, NASA has released stunning photos taken by the telescope in its decades among the stars. 

Among them is an image of Mars, taken 61 million miles from Earth. 

"Thin water-ice clouds, revealed by Hubble's unique ultraviolet capability, give the Red Planet a frosty appearance," Hubble said along with the photo on social media. 

A photo of Mars taken by Hubble NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

In a news release commemorating Hubble's decades around the sun, NASA said the telescope "is a glowing success story of America's technological prowess, unyielding scientific curiosity, and a reiteration of our nation's pioneering spirit." 

"Its stunning imagery inspired people across the globe, and the data behind those images revealed surprises about everything from early galaxies to planets in our own solar system," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The fact that it is still operating today is a testament to the value of our flagship observatories, and provides critical lessons for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which we plan to be serviceable in the spirit of Hubble."

Another image captured by Hubble shows the nebula NGC 2899, which NASA's Hubble account on X described as being "sculpted by the outflow of radiation and stellar winds from a 40,000-degree-Fahrenheit dying star at its center." 

An image of planetary nebula NGC 2899 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Hubble has looked at roughly 55,000 astronomical targets during its time in space, resulting in over 22,000 scientific papers as of February. Aside from the James Webb Space Telescope, it has contributed to the biggest dataset for a NASA astrophysics mission, with over 400 terabytes of data. Among the observations it has captured are planetary seasons, black hole jets traveling at nearly the speed of light, stellar convulsions, asteroid collisions and expanding supernova bubbles. 

One of those observations, a portion of the star-forming Rosette Nebula, shows dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust. 

An image showing a small portion of the Rosette Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Hubble's ability to capture the cosmos isn't just visually stunning, but has provided numerous scientific breakthroughs. Before the telescope's launch, telescopes grounded on Earth couldn't see as far into space, limiting estimates for the age of the universe and knowledge of space in general. Hubble was able to capture deep field images that showed galaxies dating back to the early universe, allowing scientists to precisely measure the universe's expansion. 

Using the telescope, scientists were also able to determine that supermassive black holes are common among galaxies and measure the atmospheres of exoplanets, and it even contributed to the discovery of dark energy.