Monthly Archives: September 2014

This photograph of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was takenon the second servicing mission to the observatory in 1997.Credit:NASA Larger image

From the dawn of humankind to a mere 400 years ago, all that we knew about our universe came through observations with the naked eye. Then Galileo turned his telescope toward the heavens in 1610. The world was in for an awakening.

Saturn, we learned, had rings. Jupiter had moons. That nebulous patch across the center of the sky called the Milky Way was not a cloud but a collection of countless stars. Within but a few years, our notion of the natural world would be forever changed. A scientific and societal revolution quickly ensued.

In the centuries that followed, telescopes grew in size and complexity and, of course, power. They were placed far from city lights and as far above the haze of the atmosphere as possible. Edwin Hubble, for whom the Hubble Telescope is named, used the largest telescope of his day in the 1920s at the Mt. Wilson Observatory near Pasadena, Calif., to discover galaxies beyond our own.

Hubble, the observatory, is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe. Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system.

Hubble's launch and deployment in April 1990 marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope. Our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same.

See the article here:
The Hubble Story | NASA

In December 2013 the Hubble telescope spotted water vapour above Europa But follow-up observations have failed to make the same observation The vapour was thought to be a sign of plumes of liquid on the surface Their disappearance is a mystery and several theories have been proposed Dr Retherford tells Space.com that it is likely just due to suitable conditions not being present at the time of the repeated observations But it could more worryingly be that the initial observation was incorrect

By Jonathan O'Callaghan for MailOnline

Published: 11:44 EST, 5 September 2014 | Updated: 14:48 EST, 5 September 2014

62 shares

37

View comments

It has been suggested that geysers spurting out of Jupiters moon Europa may be an opportunity to spot alien life originating beneath the surface.

This was based on observations by the Hubble Space Telescope in December 2013 that saw water vapour being ejected from the moon, lending evidence to the existence of jets.

But now scientists are somewhat baffled as they have been unable to explain why follow-up observations have failed to spot the same geysers.

In December 2013 the Hubble telescope spotted water vapour above Europa. But follow-up observations have failed to make the same observation. The vapour was thought to be a sign of plumes of liquid on the surface (illustration shown). Their disappearance is a mystery and several theories have been proposed

Read more:
Disappearance of geysers from Jupiter's Europa moon leaves scientists baffled