The GOODS/ERS2 field, the first ultra-deep wide field image of the Universe. Image credit: NASA, ESA, R. Windhorst, S. Cohen, M. Mechtley, and M. Rutkowski (Arizona State University, Tempe), R. O’Connell (University of Virginia), P. McCarthy (Carnegie Observatories), N. Hathi (University of California, Riverside), R. Ryan (University of California, Davis), H. Yan (Ohio State University), and A. Koekemoer (Space Telescope Science Institute).
Hubble’s shining view of deep space beyond the stars
The first ultra-deep, ultra-wide field view of the Universe heralded what the 2010s would bring.
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” -Edgar Allan Poe
From any point on Earth’s surface, a clear night sky reveals a treasure trove of stars and deep-sky objects.
Landmarks of the southern skies, along with the location of the GOODS-S ERS field. Image credit: A. Fujii; illustration by NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI).
Through a powerful telescope, billions of objects become visible, from stars and nebulae to the galaxies beyond our own.
A ground-based view of the region of sky containing the GOODS-S ERS field, from the Digitized Sky Survey. Image credit: Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), STScI/AURA, Palomar/Caltech, and UKSTU/AAO.
With the success of the Hubble deep fields in revealing distant, hitherto unseen galaxies, 2010 brought a new camera and a new ambition.
Galaxies from the present day to when the Universe was just 5% of its current age are all visible together in this stunning view of the Universe. Image credit: NASA, ESA, R. Windhorst, S. Cohen, M. Mechtley, and M. Rutkowski (Arizona State University, Tempe), R. O’Connell (University of Virginia), P. McCarthy (Carnegie Observatories), N. Hathi (University of California, Riverside), R. Ryan (University of California, Davis), H. Yan (Ohio State University), and A. Koekemoer (Space Telescope Science Institute).
The installation of the Wide Field Camera 3 enabled simultaneously large, deep…
The Universe is: Expanding, cooling, and dark. It starts with a bang! #Cosmology Science writer, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist.
