[Gujarati Club] HUBBLE TELESCOPE Pic. BY***aSh***

Nearly two decades after its launch, the Hubble Space Telescope beams home fresh dispatches from the deepest reaches of space.

YOU CAN SEE IT SOMETIMES, if you're out in temperate latitudes on a clear night at dusk or before dawn, when slanting sunlight glints off satellites 300 miles (483 kilometers) high—a dot of light, no brighter than an average star, trudging across the sky in a state of seeming preoccupation like that of the rabbit in Alice's Wonderland, the rippling of Earth's atmosphere (the very distortions that it was designed to rise above) making its smooth, ceaseless fall look halting and perturbed. Which pretty much describes its early career: Repeatedly delayed, then lofted into orbit only to prove myopic, repaired by one space shuttle crew, then improved by others, the Hubble Space Telescope has become the world's most popular scientific instrument, one that has been seen, and seen through, by more people than any before. Scientists feast on its data, while its beautiful images of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies have made its name—after Edwin Hubble, discoverer of the expansion of the universe—almost as well-known as Google.

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of NASA's most well-known observatories. The images of faraway space, sent back to Earth and enhanced for clarity, amaze scientists and the general public alike. As an informal educator -- someone who teaches outside the traditional classroom -- you now have access to a free DVD collection featuring Hubble images and information.

Image to left: This Helix Nebula, which is over 650 light-years away from Earth, was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA

Offered by the Space Telescope Science Institute, the HubbleSource 2005 Video Collection DVD is a compilation of videos targeted for museums, science centers, scout gatherings and other informal settings. It's an effective tool to bring space exploration to life, says John Stoke, the institute's manager of informal science education. Stoke also says that children will find the images fascinating, thus opening the door to discussion and real learning.

"Hundreds of millions of people visit museums, science centers and planetariums every year, and those places are staffed with dedicated evangelists for science," Stoke said. "Our role is to equip them with the latest and best from the Hubble telescope and this DVD is one of the ways we do that."

The video collection is actually a series of short documentaries suitable for showing at small kiosks, mini-theaters, planetarium pre-shows and other venues. Each video shows a different aspect of Hubble's accomplishments, from discovering the largest and brightest star-forming region ever, to helping find the oldest planet in the galaxy. Viewers can watch a dust storm on Mars, monitor light echoing around a distant star and see how astronauts repaired Hubble's instruments. The videos also look back on Hubble-related news stories and anticipate future discoveries.

Image to right: This image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, shows infant stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Credit: NASA

The DVD includes closed captions and is compatible with popular planetarium media systems. An updated version due out next year is expected to feature additional videos and interactive content.

"We're very proud of the 2005 HubbleSource DVD," said Bryan Preston, producer of the video. "In terms of its attractiveness and usability, it's a major improvement over anything we've done before."



While supplies last, a selection of other DVDs will be included with every request -- A Hubble Overture, featuring historic footage of astronauts visiting and servicing Hubble, and Hubble: 15 Years of Discovery, a collection produced by the European Space Agency. All items are in limited supply.

Image to left: This cone nebula is actually a pillar of gas and dust. Credit: NASA

Funded by NASA and operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, the Space Telescope Science Institute is the science, operations and public outreach center for Hubble and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2011. The institute specializes in providing convenient and cost-effective ways to engage children and adults in exploration.

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