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Hubble at 25: The most inspirational images from space

Hubble's given us a quarter of a century of inspiring images. We asked a group of scientists, researchers and even a Martian rover to share their favourites

By Joshua Sokol

17 June 2015

Discover more Hubble favourites at bit.ly/NShubble

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Happy birthday Hubble (Image: NASA)

Spiral galaxy NGC 1300

Hubble at 25: The most inspirational images from space

(Image: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)

Zolt Levay, leader of the Hubble imaging group at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland

“This is the prototypical example of a barred spiral galaxy… Amazing details appear in the colour composite: beautifully resolved spiral arms and dust lanes to the bright nucleus. And the disc is transparent enough to see distant background galaxies, which provides a dramatic feeling of depth.”

Mars and Comet Siding Spring

Hubble at 25: The most inspirational images from space

(Image: NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (PSI), C.M. Lisse (JHU/APL), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Curiosity Mars rover, @MarsCuriosity

“When I left Earth in 2011, I knew Mars would be my home for good. While the Hubble Space Telescope has taken lots of images of the Red Planet, this one is special because I know I’m on the surface, working. Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring appeared as just a smudge for me, but to Hubble it was glorious. This picture reminds me that sometimes you must change your point of view to see things as they really are.”

Galaxy cluster Abell 68

Hubble at 25: The most inspirational images from space

(Image: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage/ESA-Hubble Collaboration)

William Borucki, principal investigator of the NASA Kepler planet hunter

“The image I find most compelling is that of galaxy cluster Abell 68… I get a very eerie feeling when I see all those galaxies and realise that we have not picked up any sign of life from any exoplanet orbiting any of the billions of billions of stars those galaxies contain.”

An impossible task

Neil deGrasse Tyson…

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