Hubble Space 21st Birthday: Rose of Galaxies

To celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope‘s 21st birthday, a stunning image of Arp 273, a beautiful pair of interacting galaxies, was released. Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimorereportedly took the image on December 17, 2010 with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).

The stunning image is shown below.

The larger spiral galaxy is known as UGC 1810 while the smaller one is UGC 1813.

“[The] disk is distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational tidal pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813. A swath of blue jewel-like points across the top is the combined light from clusters of intensely bright and hot young blue stars. These massive stars glow fiercely in ultraviolet light,” NASA reportedly explained.

Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 aboard Discovery STS-31 mission. It was reported that it is responsible for compiling nearly all the current astronomical research from planetary science to cosmology.

“For 21 years, Hubble has profoundly changed our view of the universe, allowing us to see deep into the past while opening our eyes to the majesty and wonders around us. I was privileged to pilot space shuttle Discovery as it deployed Hubble. After all this time, new Hubble images still inspire awe and are a testament to the extraordinary work of the many people behind the world’s most famous observatory,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden was quoted saying.