Hubble Captures 35 Years of Solar System Images, From Mars to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Updated
Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Sep 21
Hubble Captures 35 Years of Solar System Images, From Mars to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
3 articles · Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Sep 21
Summary
Launched in 1990, Hubble has built a 35-year visual record of Solar System bodies, producing standout images of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and its moons.
That archive extends beyond planets to dwarf planets, asteroids and comets, including Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 before it slammed into Jupiter in July 1994.
Earth, Venus and Mercury are absent because Earth is too bright for Hubble's sensitive optics and Venus and Mercury lie too close to the Sun for safe pointing.
The collection underscores how Hubble, best known for deep-space views of galaxies and nebulae, also reshaped scientists' and the public's view of the Solar System beyond Earth.