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Hubble spots kamikaze comets plunging into a nearby star
The Hubble telescope helped a team of astronomers discover evidence of comets taking a dive into a young star called HD 172555 that's "only" 95-light years away from Earth. While they didn't exactly see these "kamikaze comets," Hubble detected some fast-moving silicon and carbon gases in the starlight close to the edge of the star's debris disk. The most likely explanation for those gases is that they're the result of comet-like objects shattering after crossing the star's disk.
NASA tasks the Hubble Telescope with five more years of service
Despite its successor launching in 2018, NASA is extending duty for the Hubble Space Telescope for another five years. The imaging spacecraft will continue to capture breathtaking photos from orbit until 2021 with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The final servicing mission to the telescope took place in 2009, and now it's set to provide images from our solar system and beyond into the next decade.
The Hubble Telescope's breathtaking views of space
We already showed the Hubble Telescope some love back in the spring when it turned 25. However, since it's Space Week, we thought we'd revisit some of its amazing space imagery once more. Since it launched aboard the Space Shuttle discovery in 1995, Hubble has captured breathtaking views of planets, galaxies and more for us to enjoy. That being said, let's get started with the telescope's most recent work: a photo of spiral galaxy NGC 613.
Hubble reveals XDF, the deepest view of the universe ever captured
That picture above is the deepest and most detailed view of the universe ever captured. It's called XDF, or eXtreme Deep Field, and was created using Hubble Telescope data from 2003 and 2004. It combines ten years of NASA Hubble Space photographs of a single sky sample into one full-color historic view of the galaxies. Hubble pointed at this patch of the constellation Fornax for fifty days, with an exposure time of 2 million seconds. A dazzling trip back in time, the image reveals almost 5,500 galaxies that include Andromeda, spirals similar to the Milky Way, along with remnants of galactic collisions. According to NASA, the XDF reveals galaxies that go as far back as 13.2 billion years. There's a video after the break describing how the shot was assembled; those interested in learning even more can participate in a Google+ webinar with the XDF team this Thursday, September 27th. Here's hoping that when NASA finally gets the James Webb Space Telescope going, we'll have an even deeper view into our galactic past.
NASA gets two 'Hubble-class' military telescopes, fist-pumps with joy
Imagine all you wanted for Christmas was a telescope. As you frantically peel off layer after layer of wrapping, there it is -- your brother's old one. Well, okay, if your brother was the National Reconnaissance Office (and you were NASA) this might not seem quite as unjust. Thankfully so, as that's effectively what's just happened. The NRO has given NASA two 2.4-meter "space qualified" telescopes and satellite casings for it to play with. The gifts -- which can observe about 100 times the area of the Hubble telescope -- could complement existing projects and provide much-needed resources at the space agency. As there is currently no funded mission for them, however, they'll remain firmly on the ground for now, but at least this implies they're not needed elsewhere -- hinting at improved international relations. Unless the NRO just got an upgrade?
Hubble reveals unavoidable collision between our galaxy and Andromeda
The Hubble team over at NASA has confirmed what it's suspected for a while: that our galaxy is destined for a direct collision / love fest with Andromeda, culminating in the birth of "Milkomeda." But don't go lobbying Virgin Galactic for ring-side tickets just yet because the fireworks won't go off for another four billion years -- and last another two billion after that. Scientists also predict that the earth won't be threatened thanks to the sheer amount of empty space between stars, but we could lose the sun as its flung out to some other part of the new system. You hear that? We could lose the freakin' sun!!
SETI suspends search for alien life, E.T. weeps in the silent dark of space
Our progress toward intergalactic fellowship has suffered another blow, as SETI suspended operations of its Allen Telescope Array. Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the array is a collection of radio dishes that scan the skies for signs of life; now it'll be in "hibernation" mode until 2013, when the institute's new round of funding begins. SETI hopes to raise $5 million to bring the Array back online before then, while it continues to use other telescopes around the world, including the Hubble Space Telescope. The budget woes are especially bitter given the number of recently identified alien planets – NASA's Kepler mission found 1,235. If any of them are broadcasting the next Wow! signal, let's hope it doesn't fall on deaf earthling ears.
Hubble telescope sees furthest galaxy, 13.2 billion light years from Earth
If you think Star Wars took place in a galaxy far, far away, you should probably prepare to have your perceptions of distance rocked. NASA astronomers believe they've laid their eyes what appears to be the most distant object ever spotted by humans... in the history of mankind, no less. The galaxy was first peeked back in 2009, but NASA has just confirmed (via that trusty Hubble contraption) that what it saw is actually the oldest known galaxy in existence. At a distance of 13.2 billion light years away, this galaxy is a staggering 150 million years older than the previous record-setting collection of stars. The cluster of blue stars is just a tiny galaxy, though -- NASA says you'd need hundreds of these little groups to make up our Milky Way. Head past the break for a closer shot of the constellation, otherwise known as a nondescript red pixel.
