Hubble Space Telescope Cut in Diagram

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was the first astronomical observatory to be placed into orbit around Earth with the ability to record images in wavelengths of light spanning from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble is currently located about 340 miles above Earth’s surface where it completes 15 orbits per day — approximately one every 95 minutes. The satellite moves at the speed of about five miles (8 km) per second, fast enough to travel across the United States in about 10 minutes.

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