Hubble captures the most colourful picture of our universe to date

(Photo Credit: NASA/ESA/Caltech/STScI/Arizona State University)

Composed during 841 orbits of telescope viewing time, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have assembled the most comprehensive and colourful picture of the evolving universe.

Approximately 10 000 galaxies, extending back to ones created within a few hundred million years of the Big Bang, are visible.

The image was taken as part of a study called the Ultraviolet Coverage of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UVUDF) project.

The patch of sky in this image has been studied previously in a series of visible and near-infrared exposures taken from 2004 to 2009 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field project

However with recent advancements, ultraviolet light was able to be captured and now the full range of colours available to the Hubble are detectable in this image.

This picture is among the most colorful deep space images ever taken by the 24-year-old telescope.

Update: weather postpones NASA launch

(The craft in the clean room – Photo Credit: Susan Karlin)

The launch of NASA’s new saucer-shaped vehicle, part of the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project (LDSD), has had it’s first test flight scrubbed.

A statement by the space agency explains: “Due to weather conditions, there will be no launch of the LDSD test vehicle tomorrow. Other potential launch dates include June 7, 9, 11, and 14”.

The rocket-powered craft had undergone final assembly at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii and was preparing for lift off today. However the next possible launch window will be on 11th June.

To read more about the LDSD project, and to view pictures of NASA’s incredible new spacecraft, click here.

For updates on the launch, you can visit NASA’s website here.

 

After 37 years in space, Voyager 1 and 2 are still operating successfully

(Artists conception of Voyager 1 – Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have spent nearly 4 decades in space, are still healthy and strong.

Suzanne Dodd, the Voyager project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced: “Both spacecraft are still operating, still very healthy”.

Image of the Day: 3/6/14

(Photo Credit: Maximus Photography)

This is a rather rare picture capturing the International Space Station transiting the Moon during the daytime.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth continuously, however it is only visible to the naked eye when it is dark, therefore very special telescope equipment is needed to capture this phenomenon.

The ISS looks so small in comparison to the moon, but the space station is actually bigger than a football pitch. This gives you an idea of just how large the moon really is!

If you want to see the ISS yourself, you can get instructions on how to do so here!

 

UK spaceport planned for 2018

(British astronaut, Tim Peake, who will travel to the International Space Station in 2015 – Photo Credit: ESA/Alex Rumford)

A spaceport in the United Kingdom could be possible within the next five years.