Hubble’s Next Discovery: You Decide

Science • Views: 2,655

Have you always wanted to control where to point the Hubble Space Telescope? Now you can: Hubble’s Next Discovery - You Decide.

YOU’RE IN CONTROL! In 1609, Galileo turned his telescope on the night sky for the first time. Now, 400 years later, your vote will help make the momentous decision of where to point modern astronomy’s most famous telescope.

“Hubble’s Next Discovery — You Decide” is part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s observations. People around the world can vote to select the next object the Hubble Space Telescope will view. Choose from a list of objects Hubble has never observed before and enter a drawing for one of 100 new Hubble pictures of the winning object. The winning image will be released between April 2 and 5, during the IYA’s 100 Hours of Astronomy, a global astronomy event geared toward encouraging as many people as possible to experience the night sky. Vote by March 1 to swing Hubble toward your favorite target.

(Hat tip: Racer X.)

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48 comments
1 Racer X  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:14:28pm

My first hat tip!

Thanks Charles!

2 jaunte  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:15:28pm

Go #3.

3 jcm  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:15:39pm

Ahhhh, we have a problem Houston...
The lack of globular clusters, the image are photoshopped!

4 HelloDare  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:15:43pm

To plumb the bounds of Obama's ego.

5 freetoken  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:15:53pm

Galaxies will win; galaxies always win.

They must be on steroids.

6 Throbert McGee  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:16:57pm

re: #1 Racer X

... first ...

Shame on you, Racer X!

7 oh_dude  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:17:05pm

Uranus?

8 Racer X  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:18:13pm

re: #6 Throbert McGee

Shame on you, Racer X!

I thought about that right after I hit post. My first hat tip, I thank the boss then I get deleted.

LOL!

9 x-wing  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:18:37pm

re: #7 oh_dude

Uranus?

oh-dude

/

10 dapperdave  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:19:30pm

I don't know, the cute girl across the street? /

11 victor_yugo  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:20:34pm

re: #5 freetoken

Galaxies will win; galaxies always win.

They must be on steroids.

I got yer galaxies right here. I guarantee that, on the first try, you will lose count of how many galaxies are in that picture.

12 Afrocity  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:21:26pm

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." Padme - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

13 Adrenalyn  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:21:47pm

re: #1 Racer X

My first hat tip!

Thanks Charles!

do not delete this post

he deserves to revel in it

14 Crux Australis  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:23:14pm

The Southern Cross?

ROFLMAO/

15 jcm  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:23:35pm

re: #13 Adrenalyn

do not delete this post

he deserves to revel in it

It will be a first, to let a "first," first post stand just because it's a first hat tap.
;-P

16 victor_yugo  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:25:03pm

re: #12 Afrocity

Heya hot stuff. Meet ya on the next thread.

17 NoelArmourson  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:26:19pm

re: #11 victor_yugo

They've got some big tiffs there.

18 victor_yugo  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:28:24pm

re: #17 NoelArmourson

They've got some big tiffs there.

If your system can handle the largest TIFF, it's worth it. The visual detail is astonishing.

19 Throbert McGee  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:28:35pm

No surprise that the two galaxies in slo-mo collision are the current favorite -- people are suckers for action sequences.

20 NoelArmourson  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:29:14pm

re: #18 victor_yugo

I'll find out soon enough.

21 Racer X  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:30:04pm

re: #19 Throbert McGee

No surprise that the two galaxies in slo-mo collision are the current favorite -- people are suckers for action sequences.

Its the galactic equivalent of bumping fuzzies.

22 Gus  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:32:08pm

Better not let the Discovery Institute choose where to point it. Actually, if they did they'd forget to remove the "lens cap" but they'd come up with 100s of pages of words and gobbledegook.

/s

(I know there's no lens cap on it.)

23 stevieray  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:37:46pm

re: #22 Gus 802

Actually, it does. (See: aperture door)

24 NoelArmourson  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:39:14pm

The Heaven's Gate people, having already transported themselves, no longer have any way to request a viewing of certain comets and their trailing spaceships.

If recollection serves me correctly, the telescope does have an automatic "lenscap" mechanism.

25 Gus  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:40:56pm

re: #23 stevieray

Right, I figured that. I was just picturing an actual plastic lens cap for the ID folks.

26 Summer Seale  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:44:26pm

I suggest that we point it at the Discovery Institute, to see if there is any intelligent life hiding over there.

27 Boxy_brown  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:47:51pm

I want hubble to tell me whether or not there is intelligent life on earth.

28 NoelArmourson  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:48:59pm

re: #27 Boxy_brown

There is insufficient data for a meaningful answer.

29 uptight  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 10:53:02pm

I think there should be a big Hyperspace button that will send the satellite into some random orbit. thus hopefully avoiding the meteorites.

30 garycooper  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 11:25:18pm

To me, the most awe-inspiring photo I've seen from Hubble is still the famous "Deep Space Field" photo, with its myriads of unique galaxies in various stages of evolution. I understand it's a tiny speck of sky, too, equivalent to what you'd see staring down an 8-ft long drinking straw. Also comparable to the size of a dime, from 75 ft away. No need to take the same photo over again, though. We get it. :0

It's no wonder people turn to religion. This universe is just too damn big for us!

31 Buster Bunny  Mon, Feb 16, 2009 11:31:16pm

I want Hubble to discover the Pamela Anderson nebula. You know .. a series of galaxies bonded together with two huge enormous suns lighting up the midriff .. corse they wouldnt be real ... but you'd appreciate them anyway.

32 kywrite  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 12:32:37am

re: #12 Afrocity

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." Padme - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

If I could ding that up a million times -- I would.

Anyway, afa the Hubble contest, THAT'S JUST COOL! I don't know what I'd look at, but how nifty to be able to vote.

33 yma o hyd  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 1:14:38am

Here's something else Lizards with a faible for astronomy might look at - and even try their hands on:

Galaxy Zoo!

Its a wonderful site where people can participate in classifying galaxies, one's given a tutorial, and the astrophysicists say that people are miels better at cllassification than computers!

Its dead easy - but be warned: its highly addictive!

34 NoelArmourson  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 1:33:14am

re: #33 yma o hyd

Thanks!

35 Steve Rogers  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 3:22:37am

Point it at 1600 Pennsylvania and see if it can see the end of the Spendulus Bill.

36 Steve Rogers  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 3:45:29am

They asked the MSM and their response was unanimous: Aim it to the Pearly Gates to try and see Obama's Throne on the other side.

37 Steve Rogers  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 3:59:06am

They could aim it at North America to try and find those 7 extra states Obama has been to.

38 Adil Zeshan  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 4:13:18am

Abandon Neo-Luddism All Ye Who Enter Here.

39 Amer-I-Can  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 6:08:32am

Can we point it at the Democrat Party to see if we can find a brain?

40 quickjustice  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 6:22:52am

I saw Hubbel launched from Kennedy Space Center. One of my cousins was an optical engineer who worked on Hubbel. He protested the initial launch, because he said the lensing was defective. When the lensing proved to be defective, he constructed the fix.

41 godfrey  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 6:54:50am

re: #40 quickjustice

Say, that's great!

42 J.S.  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 8:07:29am

Speaking of telescopes (radiotelescopes), the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) is underway...(it will be 50 times more sensitive than existing radiotelescopes, and do it ten thousand times faster)...It'll look into the origins of the universe, cosmic magnetism, give extreme tests of Einstein's theories; etc. Wiki article here...SKA website here.

43 notutopia  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 8:23:09am

Two merging galaxies for my vote. This was a unique promotion for Hubble and I hope it draws in more interest in the study of Astronomy.
Thanks Racer x and to Charles for this thread.
: )

44 Land Shark  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 10:21:25am

Good stuff. I voted for the interacting galaxies, though I thought they were all great choices. I think it's terrific they're letting folks vote on where to aim it.

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the greatest scientific acomplishments I know of. It's provided so many great images, lasted far longer than they expected and really pushed the boundaries of astronomy. Certainly one of the most important astronomical instruments of all time.

45 Mambo Bananapatch  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 11:04:57am

I wonder if it can find me a date, or my car keys?

46 Brigman  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 12:09:20pm

thanks a lot - I just spent the last hour watching videos and slide presentations the likes of which I would sleep through back in grade school.

So if you'll excuse me, I gotta go back...

47 jdubya  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 1:25:29pm

Back in college, there was this sorority of some pretty spicey girls and ... oh... uh...how about.....Uranus.

Bwaaa Haaa Haaa.

Actually, how bout a deep extended snapshot of the edge of our knwn universe. I just wanted to see the other side.

48 Mauser  Tue, Feb 17, 2009 5:34:07pm

I propose Hubble's Mission to Earth. See if you can spot Adriana Lima sunbathing nude somewhere....


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