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What would happen if you pointed the Hubble telescope at Earth?
If Hubble looked at the Earth — from its orbit of approximately 600 km above the earth’s surface — this would in theory correspond to 0.3 metres or 30 cm. Quite impressive! But Hubble would have to look down through the atmosphere, which would blur the images and make the actual resolution worse.
How far is the Hubble telescope from the surface of the Earth?
340 miles
Hubble’s low-Earth orbit also kept it within a safe and accessible range for astronauts, who used the space shuttle to visit the telescope repeatedly over the years to repair and upgrade its components. Hubble is currently located 340 miles (547 km) above Earth’s surface.
Will the Hubble telescope come back to Earth?
July 17, 2021 – NASA Returns Hubble Space Telescope to Science Operations. NASA has returned the science instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope to operational status, and the collection of science data will now resume.
How far does the Hubble Space Telescope orbit the Earth?
The Hubble Space Telescope orbits 547 kilometres (340 miles) above Earth and travels 8km (5 miles) every second. Inclined 28.5 degrees to the equator, it orbits the Earth once every 97 minutes.
Why did the Hubble telescope fail to take pictures?
Due to an oversight during fabrication, the concave shape of Hubble’s primary mirror was too shallow toward its outer edges by 2 microns, a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. As a result, starlight was not brought to a focus at the same point, resulting in blurry images.
Is it possible to turn the telescope in an Earth-observing direction?
But it’s not possible to turn the telescope in an Earth-observing direction. Here’s why. First, the brightness of Earth would damage the instruments aboard the telescope.
What has Hubble discovered so far?
This has allowed Hubble to capture some of the most awe-inspiring photographs known to humankind, including images of remote tadpole galaxies, star births, nebulae and supernovae. But despite all its amazing discoveries, you may have several questions about this technological marvel.