NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has achieved a groundbreaking feat by creating the largest photomosaic ever made of the Andromeda galaxy, a stunning spiral nebula approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth. The massive mosaic is comprised of over 2.5 billion pixels and took ten years to complete, requiring 1,000 Hubble orbits and over 600 overlapping snapshots.
The Andromeda galaxy is the closest major galaxy to our Milky Way, standing out as a prominent stellar island in the night sky on a clear autumn evening. First discovered by American astronomer Edwin Hubble in 1923, this galaxy was previously thought to be part of the Milky Way’s domain. However, Hubble’s pioneering discovery revealed an expansive universe, vastly expanding our understanding of cosmology.
With its unparalleled imaging capabilities, the Hubble Space Telescope has enabled scientists to study the Andromeda galaxy in unprecedented detail. By resolving over 200 million stars within the galaxy, Hubble has shed light on the structure and evolution of this massive stellar system. The telescope’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of the Milky Way’s own history, as astronomers are embedded within their home galaxy.
The photomosaic is a testament to Hubble’s advanced technology and its ability to capture breathtaking images of distant celestial objects. NASA’s new discoveries will support future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, complementing Hubble’s vast dataset with high-resolution imagery.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-creates-192100352.html