Hubble marks its 35th anniversary with four stunning new images.

      In honor of the 35th anniversary of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's presence in Earth orbit, a collection of captivating images taken by Hubble has been released today.

      This week marks a significant occasion for one of the most cherished scientific instruments, as the Hubble Space Telescope commemorates its 35th birthday. Launched on April 24, 1990, the telescope transformed our understanding of cosmology through its observations of the universe's expansion and continues to gather invaluable scientific data and stunning images.

      To celebrate 35 years in orbit around Earth, the Hubble team has unveiled four new images showcasing the diverse range of objects Hubble can observe, including planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Thanks to numerous servicing missions that upgraded its instruments over the years, the telescope has maintained its ability to provide cutting-edge data alongside advancing technology.

      The European Space Agency reports that Hubble has made approximately 1.7 million observations of 55,000 targets throughout its history, which have yielded 22,000 scientific papers and over 400 terabytes of data. Currently, time on the Hubble remains a precious commodity, with the demand being six times greater than what can be accommodated.

      The first image captures Mars, as seen in December last year. It reveals the icy cap at the planet's northern pole, along with clouds forming in the eastern region.

      The second image features the striking planetary nebula NGC 2899, formed by powerful stellar winds from a central white dwarf star. With temperatures nearing 22,000 degrees Celsius, this dying star’s core emits enough radiation to shape the surrounding dust and gas into magnificent structures.

      Next, the Rosette Nebula is depicted, composed of gas ionized by numerous newly formed stars. As these stars radiate energy, they ionize the adjacent hydrogen, resulting in a glowing effect. This star-forming region is teeming with the birth of massive stars, some of which emit impressive plasma jets.

      Lastly, the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335 is shown. Its structure resembles that of our Milky Way, featuring spiral arms and a prominent bar of stars at its center. Unlike our clearly defined spiral arms, NGC 5335 has more diffuse and patchy arms, with bright areas due to ongoing star formation, particularly within the luminous and well-defined bar.

      Georgina has been a space writer at Digital Trends for six years, focusing on human space exploration and planetary sciences.

      For the past decade, the Hubble Space Telescope has been dedicated to studying Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune through a project known as OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy). Hubble regularly captures images of these outer planets, allowing scientists to monitor their changes. Unlike Earth, these planets are gas giants and ice giants, though they share some atmospheric phenomena, including dynamic weather patterns with massive storms visible from space. Jupiter's Great Red Spot stands out, depicted as a large orange-red oval in many images, representing a colossal storm larger than the entire Earth that has persisted for centuries.

      A new Halloween-themed image has emerged from the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, featuring two galaxies, IC 2163 and NGC 2207, which are slowly approaching each other, creating an eerie visage. While these galaxies are not colliding outright, their close proximity has resulted in interactions. The left galaxy's spiral arms appear elongated, likely due to gravitational effects from the other galaxy. The bright red outlines around the "eyes" indicate shock fronts formed by the collision of materials from both galaxies.

      A remarkable image from Hubble captures R Aquarii, a nearby star characterized by intense eruptions of matter, which resemble a "stellar volcano." This star isn't a single entity but a binary system comprising a red giant and a white dwarf that revolve around each other. The red giant experiences fluctuations in temperature and brightness over a 390-day cycle, which coincides with the 44-year orbital period of the white dwarf. As the white dwarf approaches the red giant, it draws gas through gravity, forming a disk that eventually collapses and erupts, releasing jets of material, continuing the cycle.