This year, the beloved Hubble Space Telescope turned 30. Launched in 1990, it has been instrumental in helping us understand the expansion of the universe and has allowed us to peer out at objects far beyond our solar system.
Now, NASA has updated its Hubble Caldwell catalog, a collection of some of the most beautiful images Hubble has captured throughout the years. The Caldwell catalog project, which began in 1995, was a list originally compiled by astronomer Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore as an addition to the traditional Messier catalog which lists astronomical objects that can be seen in the sky. The Caldwell catalog contains 109 objects including galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters which are visible to amateur astronomers.
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For astronomers who want to refer to highly detailed images of the objects they’re observing, or simply for those who love to enjoy stunning images of space, the Hubble Caldwell catalog shows all of these objects in exquisite detail, as well as a map of where in the night sky each is located.
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We’ve shared some of our favorite additions to the catalog below, which include dusty nebulae, distant galaxies, and bright star clusters:
This stunning image captures a small region on the edge of the inky Coalsack Nebula, or Caldwell 99.NASA, ESA, and R. Sahai (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 72, also known as NGC 55, is a galaxy located 6.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor.NASA, ESA, R. de Jong (Leibniz-Institut fur Astrophysik Potsdam [AIP]), and G. Illingworth (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 29, also known as NGC 5005, is a spiral galaxy that likely harbors a supermassive black hole at its heart.NASA, ESA, and L. Ho (Peking University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)This beautiful Hubble image captures the core and some of the spiral arms of the galaxy Caldwell 36. Also known as NGC 4559, this spiral galaxy is located roughly 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices.NASA, ESA, and S. Smartt (The Queen's University of Belfast); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Galaxies consist of a number of different structures, and the particulars of these structures drive the evolution of a given galaxy. One such structure in spiral galaxies like Caldwell 40 (or NGC 3626) is the galactic bulge. This structure is a densely packed region of stars that encompasses the heart of a spiral galaxy.NASA, ESA, and P. Erwin (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)Caldwell 45, or NGC 5248, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Boötes, and it is notable for the ring structure around its nucleus.NASA, ESA, J. Lee (California Institute of Technology), and A. Filippenko (University of California – Berkeley); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)This Hubble image captures Caldwell 78 (or NGC 6541), a globular star cluster roughly 22,000 light-years from Earth. The cluster is bright enough that backyard stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere can easily spot it with binoculars.NASA, ESA, and G. Piotto (Università degli Studi di Padova); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
Hubble takes first image since switching to new pointing mode
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of the galaxy NGC 1546. NASA, ESA, STScI, David Thilker (JHU)
The Hubble Space Telescope has been through some troubles of late, and the way that it operates had to be changed recently to compensate for some degraded hardware. The telescope's three gyros, which help it to switch between different targets in the sky, have been experiencing issues, with one in particular frequently failing over recent months. NASA made the decision recently to change the way that Hubble points, and it now uses just one gyro at a time instead of all three in order to preserve the two remaining gyros for as long as possible.
Hubble will switch to a new mode to preserve its troublesome gyros
An STS-125 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on May 19, 2009. NASA
The beloved Hubble Space Telescope will soon be changing the way it operates by limiting the speed at which it can target new objects in order to preserve its lifespan for as long as possible.
Hubble catches a baby star pulsating in a triple star system
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a triple-star star system. NASA, ESA, G. Duchene (Universite de Grenoble I); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
A gorgeous new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a triple star system, where three stars are working in tandem to create a reflection nebula. The trio of stars are located 550 light-years away, and include one particular star, HP Tau, that is like a younger version of our sun and will eventually grow up to be a similar hydrogen-fueled star in millions of years' time.
