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The '''Hubble Space Telescope''' is an American space probe in Low-Earth orbit (about 350 miles high) that is used to study and image celestial objects. It is operated by [[NASA]]'s [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html Goddard Space Flight Center] and the [http://www.stsci.edu/resources/ Space Telescope Science Institute]. The [[telescope]] was launched April 25, 1990 and began operations soon thereafter.
The '''Hubble Space Telescope''' is an American space probe in Low-Earth orbit (about 350 miles high) that is used to study and image celestial objects. It is operated by [[NASA]]'s [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html Goddard Space Flight Center] and the [http://www.stsci.edu/resources/ Space Telescope Science Institute]. The [[telescope]] was launched April 25, 1990 and began operations soon thereafter.
After launch, it was found that all of the images from the telescope were out of focus. An investigation found that the primary mirror of the telescope had been ground to the wrong radius, preventing the telescope from properly focusing. In December, 1993, the [[Space_shuttle|Space Shuttle]] Endeavor, during mission STS-61, captured the telescope and added a lens correcting for the defect in the primary mirror. Since then, the Hubble Space Telescope has been an invaluable tool to [[astronomy|astronomers]].
==History==
After launch, it was found that all of the images from the telescope were out of focus. An investigation found that the primary mirror of the telescope had been ground to the wrong radius, preventing the telescope from properly focusing. In December, 1993, the [[Space_shuttle|Space Shuttle]] Endeavor, during mission STS-61, captured the telescope and added a lens that corrected the defect in the primary mirror. Since then, the Hubble Space Telescope has been an invaluable tool to [[astronomy|astronomers]].
Hubble has a resolution of just less than 0.1 arcsec in red light.<ref> One arcsec is 1/3600 of a degree.</ref> Its main imaging camera has 16 million pixels.
Hubble has a resolution of just less than 0.1 arcsec in red light.<ref> One arcsec is 1/3600 of a degree.</ref> Its main imaging camera has 16 million pixels.