Libraries

Hubble Space Telescope Lecture

Banner image with text about the event. Picture of space station in orbit over earth.

University Libraries will commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope with a lecture by Dr. Esteban Araya, Assistant Professor of Physics, on Thursday, April 23rd, at 7 PM in the Malpass Library Garden Lounge.

The Hubble Space Telescope was originally developed to overcome the effects of atmospheric distortion by capturing images of the Universe from above the atmosphere, according to Dr. Araya. “Despite a rocky start - a flaw in a mirror was discovered after it was placed in orbit - the Hubble Space Telescope has captured more than 1 million images since it was launched,” added Linda Zellmer, government and data services librarian, who helped organize the event. “The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe, from the detection of galaxies within the first billion years from the Big Bang to the accelerated expansion of the Universe,” Dr. Araya further explained.

Dr. Araya will provide a brief history of the Hubble Space Telescope and summarize some of its major discoveries. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information contact Linda Zellmer at 309-298-2723 or LR-Zellmer@wiu.edu.