Hubbles Glorious Universe.

Organised by : South Downs Planetarium

Since its launch in April 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has always been in the news. First there was the small error in the shape of the main mirror and the amazing corrective optics fitted by the crew on a Space Shuttle flight.

Then we had stunning images of planets, stars and galaxies as Hubble got about its business of exploring the cosmos. It helped to determine the precise age of the Universe, caught exploding supernovae, showed the Universe as an evolving entity, and helped make the first direct measurement of chemical elements on exoplanets.

Hubbles vantage point in orbit, 610 km above the Earths surface, clear of our planets image-distorting atmosphere, has enabled it to obtain extraordinarily detailed views of distant galaxies and galaxy clusters. As this show will explain, Hubble has peered back to the very earliest times in the history of our Universe helping us to answer important questions about the first stars and galaxies and how the Universe has evolved over time.