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The Camera That Changed the Universe

Posted by samzenpus on from the all-the-better-to-see-it-with dept.

StartsWithABang writes As the Hubble Space Telescope gets set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of opening its eyes to the Universe, it's important to realize that the first four years of operations were kind of a disaster. It wasn't until they corrected the flawed primary mirror and installed an upgraded camera — the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) — that the Universe truly came into focus. From 1993 to 2009, this workhorse camera literally changed our view of the Universe, and we're pushing even past those limits today.

5 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. It was the press coverage that was the disaster by UnderCoverPenguin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Despite the slight change in the curvature of the main mirror, Hubble's images were pretty amazing. It was the press and the politicians that called it a disaster. Fortunately, that didn't prevent NASA from sending a crew to install corrective optics and a better camera.

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  2. Discovery by ArcadeMan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Hubble Space Telescope made us realize that space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.

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  3. One of many by quenda · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It is a little sad that while at least seventeen of these giant telescopes have been launched by the US alone, only one has ever looked up.

  4. This is ridiculous.... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I get the quantum mechanics principle, the mere act of observing changes the observed, that you can't measure the momentum or the position without affecting the other. But, just put a telescope in the orbit and it changed the universe? ... come on guys, there should be some limits even on hyperbole.

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    1. Re:This is ridiculous.... by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I get the quantum mechanics principle, the mere act of observing changes the observed, that you can't measure the momentum or the position without affecting the other. But, just put a telescope in the orbit and it changed the universe? ... come on guys, there should be some limits even on hyperbole.

      I change the universe all the time. Of course, most of it will never be affected by those changes, but changes they are.