As NASA's Curiosity rover continues to beam back unprecedented images of the Martian landscape, we are reminded of the countless celestial discoveries made by the space agency's longest-running mission: the Hubble Telescope.
The Hubble has been whipping around Earth at a speed of five miles per second since its launch in 1990.
During its 22-year run, the school-bus-sized telescope has sent hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth that have given scientists a glimpse of the most distance stars and galaxies and helped to determine the age of the universe.
The telescope has changed our understanding of the universe forever.
A view of “Mystic Mountain" captures a three-light-year tall pillar of gas being eaten away by the radiation of nearby bright stars.
Source: HubbleSite
Light from a stellar explosion three years earlier illuminates surrounding dust. This is called a light echo.
Source: HubbleSite
A tower of gas and dust rises within a cluster of stars known as the Eagle Nebula.
Source: HubbleSite
See the rest of the story at Business Insider