TOP 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HUBBLE

by Irene Klotz

Spin Me Right Round

hubble space telescope image solar system nasa

Spitzer also founded the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1951 while chairman of the university's astrophysical sciences department. Credit: NASA

1. Not First In Line

Believe it or not, but Hubble wasn't the first space telescope envisioned for humanity.

The first serious concepts date back to 1946 when Lyman Spitzer -- a professor at Yale University -- wrote a paper titled "Astronomical Advantages of an Extra-Terrestrial Observatory."

His forward-looking study pointed out how Earth's atmosphere distorts light coming from stars, blocking X-rays and other high-energy light entirely.

Spitzer lived long enough to watch the launch of Hubble from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He died in 1997. NASA's Space Infrared Space Facility now bears Spitzer's name.

Article posted May 11, 2009.

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