Hubble Gets a Rose For Anniversary

April 21, 2011 — A rose is a rose is a rose. Gertrude Stein wrote that line in 1913, basically saying that things are what they are. But if look at the latest image released by the Hubble Space Telescope — a rose in the sky nearly 300 million light-years away — you probably aren’t so sure that is true. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s deployment into space, astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore pointed Hubble's eye at Arp 273, releasing an image of two interacting galaxies in the shape of a rose. "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," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "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." Hubble was launched April 24, 1990, aboard Discovery's STS-31 mission. Hubble discoveries revolutionized nearly all areas of current astronomical research from planetary science to cosmology. "Hubble is America's gift to the world," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. "Its jaw-dropping images have rewritten the textbooks and inspired generations of schoolchildren to study math and science. It has been documenting the history of our universe for 21 years. Thanks to the daring of our brave astronauts, a successful servicing mission in 2009 gave Hubble new life. I look forward to Hubble's amazing images and inspiring discoveries for years to come." The newly released Hubble image shows a large spiral galaxy, known as UGC 1810, with a disk that 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. The smaller, nearly edge-on companion shows distinct signs of intense star formation at its nucleus, perhaps triggered by the encounter with the companion galaxy. Arp 273 lies in the constellation Andromeda and is roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth. Though connected by a thin bridge of stars, they’re tens of thousands of light-years from each other.

To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's deployment into space, astronomers released a photogenic pair of interacting galaxies called Arp 273. The image was captured on December 17, 2010 with three colored filters in Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. Photo credit: NASA, ESA, A. Riess (STScI/JHU), L. Macri (Texas A&M University), and Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) The Hubble will celebrate its 21st anniversary of its deployment into space on April 24. Photo credit: NASA

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