Announcements 2015

16 December 2015: Space Scoop, an astronomy news service for children aged eight and above, invites you to explore a brand-new website and share its exciting astronomical content with your children during their Christmas break. Space Scoop is coordinated by the international Universe Awareness (EU-UNAWE) and Space Awareness (SPACE-AWE) projects in partnership with several partners, including ESO and ESA/Hubble. Every Space Scoops article provides news about the latest astronomical discoveries in child-friendly language and is accompanied by a stunning astronomical image. The goal is to feed children’s curiosity about the Universe, to share the excitement of new discoveries with them and to inspire children to develop an interest in science and a passion for learning. The project aims to change young children’s frequent perception that science is an outdated and dull subject. As such, the brand-new Space Scoop website features a vibrant, eye-catching visual design along with fun graphics, images and icons tailored …

10 December 2015: When you hear the name “Hubble”, you probably think of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. But, decades before the Hubble Space Telescope, Dr Edwin Powell Hubble revolutionised the field of astronomy. In the newest Hubblecast, we take a look at the life and work of this brilliant American astronomer for whom the Hubble Space Telescope is named. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credits: Directed by: Mathias JägerVisual design and editing: Martin KornmesserWritten by: Rebecca Louise Davies, Georgia BlazonNarration: Sara Mendes da CostaImages: NASA, ESA/Hubble, Huntington Library, California Institute of Technology, Hans A. Rosbach, JonathunderAnimations: NASA, ESA/HubbleMusic: zero-project (zero-project.gr)Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi ShidaExecutive producer: Lars Lindberg …

13 November 2015: A serendipitous observation of a distant supernova by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is providing astronomers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to definitively test their understanding of massive clusters of galaxies. In November 2014 astronomers spotted a strange and rare sight. The huge mass of the galaxy cluster MACS J1149+2223 was magnifying the light from a much more distant supernova behind it, nicknamed Refsdal. The light from Refsdal was magnified and distorted due to gravitational lensing, creating four separate images of the supernova arranged in a formation known as an Einstein Cross. Although astronomers have discovered dozens of multiply imaged galaxies, they had never before seen multiple images of a supernova (heic1505). The four supernova images have been slowly fading away as the explosion dies down, but astronomers now have the unique chance to catch a rerun of Refsdal: The supernova images do not arrive on Earth at the same time …

21 October 2015: The October issue of the ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter is now available. Among other things this issue focuses on the new Hubble Space Telescope Archive at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) which was launched on 15 October. The improvements in the new archive are highlighted as well as the overall importance of the archive for the scientific community. There is also information about the Hubble catalogue of variables and an example that follows a typical science using case from start to finish. The ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter promotes technical and operational news for the Hubble Space Telescope to European users and the scientific community. It is also intended to create a communication channel between the European Hubble user community, and the staff scientists at ESA who support Hubble science operations. You can subscribe to the ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter here, or get in touch at hubblenewseurope@stsci.edu. If you are a media representative …

15 October 2015: Today, the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) has launched the new European Hubble Space Telescope archive — or eHST for short . This archive offers several new features, some of which are not yet available anywhere else. In addition, it offers a very user friendly interface. Currently about 50% of the publications from Hubble are based on archive data, making the archive a goldmine for astronomers. The European archive has always been a dynamic complement to the primary archive based at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, USA, rather than just a copy, and the new eHST enhances its capabilities even further. The eHST has been completely re-engineered and is now faster, more accurate and more robust than its progenitor. It is also easy to maintain and to extend, which will make it easy to integrate the Hubble Source Catalogue by the end of 2015. For the user …

7 October 2015: Using images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have discovered unique and totally unexpected structures within the dusty disc around the star AU Microscopii. This Hubblecast takes a look at these fast-moving wave-like features, which are unlike anything ever observed, or even predicted. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB.

30 September 2015: The 18th issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal is out now! In this issue you will find articles discussing key findings in astronomy communication, including research into astronomers’ views on outreach; reflections on the highly successful Galileoscope project and Global Astronomy Month; and insights into new ways to share and improve access to the huge files we, as astronomy communicators, are creating. We also gain a new perspective in this issue by hearing from those who have participated in our projects. All of this, and more, is featured in this free, peer-reviewed journal for astronomy communicators — now available for download.

23 September 2015: Before NASA’s New Horizons probe flew past Pluto in July 2015, almost all of the information scientists had about this mysterious dwarf planet came from observations made by Hubble. In the newest episode of the Hubblecast, we present Hubble’s discoveries in the Pluto system and explore how Hubble will continue to advance knowledge of this distant, icy world following New Horizons’ flyby. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credits: Directed by: Mathias Jäger Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Mathias Jäger, Georgia Bladon and Nicky Guttridge Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa Images: NASA, ESA/Hubble, Lowell Observatory, M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Videos: …

9 September 2015: On 24 April 2015 ESA/Hubble announced the winners of its Ode to Hubble short video competition as part of the Hubble 25th anniversary celebrations. At that time we extended our thanks to the many individuals who entered the competition, but they did not receive official recognition. Many of these videos were highly creative, original and informed and deserve to be seen by a wider audience. So now, we are giving everyone the chance to appreciate the high quality of work from all our entrants by hosting all of the videos entered on a new page on the ESA/Hubble website. We invite you to visit this new webpage and explore the videos, which all played a part in highlighting Hubble’s role not just as a scientific instrument but as a cultural icon that inspires creativity and curiosity about the Universe. The winning videos, as well as the runners up, can also …

26 August 2015: The newest Hubblecast focuses on planetary nebulae and, in particular, the spectacular Twin Jet Nebula. Observed and studied by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, many fascinating features have been found within its butterfly-shaped wings. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credits: Directed by: Mathias Jäger Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Mathias Jäger, Nicky Jenner, Georgia Bladon Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa Images: NASA, ESA/Hubble Videos: NASA, ESA/Hubble, NASA Goodard Space Flight Center Animations: Martin Kornmesser, Luis Calcada, NASA, ESA/Hubble Music: Stan Dart (www.stan-dart.com) Web and technical support: Mathias Andre and Raquel Yumi Shida Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen

6 July 2015: The July 2015 issue of the ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter is now available. Among other things, this issue reflects upon Hubble’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Two month on we look back at what we can learn from the wide-spread activities involving the public and give a retrospective of the Hubble 2020 conference and the science presented therein. Also included are highlights from the cycle 23 Time Allocation Committee and the great success of European Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators in this round. The ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter promotes technical and operational news for the Hubble Space Telescope to European users and the scientific community. It is also intended to create a communication channel between the European Hubble user community, and the staff scientists at ESA who support Hubble science operations. You can subscribe to the ESA/Hubble Science Newsletter here, or get in touch at hubblenewseurope@stsci.edu. If you are a media representative we recommend subscribing …

30 June 2015: The 17th issue of Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal is out now! In this issue you will find articles discussing outreach activities for the Google Lunar XPRIZE race to the Moon; the issues involved in communicating astronomy directly to a mass audience through television; the role of space art in astronomy outreach; and how using simple optical instruments to reproduce historical astronomical observations can help amateur astronomers and the wider public engage with astronomy in a direct, collaborative way. There is all this, and more, in this free, peer-reviewed journal for astronomy communicators — now available for download.

5 June 2015: To celebrate Hubble's 25th birthday ESA/Hubble asked the public to produce and submit short videos illustrating how Hubble has inspired them. This new Hubblecast episode presents the two winning videos. The episode also introduces us to the creators of the videos and they explain how they produced the videos and the inspiration for creating them. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credit: Directed by: Mathias Jäger Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Georgia Bladon Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa Images: ESA/Hubble, ESO, NASA and ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Videos: ESA/Hubble, Halley Davies and Martin Hellmich, Desiré de Palacio Animations: Martin Kornmesser, Luis Calcada, NASA, ESA/Hubble Music: La …

24 April 2015: Today marks the 25th anniversary of Hubble’s launch and it is with great pleasure that we also celebrate your, the public's, contribution to this mission by announcing the winners of the Ode to Hubble competition today! Congratulations to Desiré de Palacio from Spain in the over 25s category for her stunning video Bariónica which, using photography, explores how Hubble has inspired her; combining images of the Universe with those of our own planet and the human form. In the 25 and under category our congratulations go to Halley Davies and Martin Hellmich from Canada whose animated video Hubble’s Universe takes us on a journey through history and shows what Hubble has taught us about the Universe. These winners will receive a real section of Hubble’s solar array mounted in perspex. These little pieces of Hubble are part of the huge solar arrays that spent 3 years orbiting the Earth, giving …

23 April 2015: After a quarter of a century in space, Hubble has captured a dramatic new cosmic landscape to take centre stage as the 25th anniversary image. This Hubblecast browses the history of Hubble’s anniversary images and explores the newest addition: the star cluster Westerlund 2. This year, museums, science centres, planetariums and other science institutes across Europe have unveiled images and taken part in other events celebrating the 25th anniversary. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credit: Directed by: Georgia Bladon Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Georgia Bladon and Nicky Guttridge Narration: Dr Joe Liske Images: NASA, ESA/Hubble, the Hubble Heritage Team, A. Nota (ESA/STScI), the Westerlund 2 Science …

17 April 2015: Following weeks of development, Hubble has a new design for its website and a wealth of new resources available for the 25th anniversary celebrations. There are extra resources available to help press and public alike in their celebration of the anniversary. This includes a detailed press pack full of information about Hubble, including information on the history of Hubble, Hubble’s greatest discoveries, a short fact sheet and a biography of Edwin P. Hubble. This is available in both English and Spanish. Also on the resources page are two sets of slides on Hubble, its history and its future which can be used for talks and presentations. New fulldome clips are also appearing every month for use by planetariums worldwide. The main motivation for the changes to the website's design was to give the site a more user-friendly interface and to make it more responsive on mobile platforms. The new design …

9 April 2015: Many thanks to everyone who entered the Ode to Hubble competition. We were absolutely taken aback by the work and creativity that was put into the entries. The public voting has now come to an end and we can now reveal the shortlist of six videos in each of the two categories! Congratulations to Simon Vandevelde, Halley Davies, Hui Tung Liu, Jacinto Manuel Escaray, Krishna Santos and Alexandra Greenbaum in the under 25s category! And to Laura Austin, Andres Eloy Martinez Rojas, Desiré de Palacio, Philip Stark, the joint efforts of Mattia Di Miscia and Paola Paladini, and the team comprising Vicent J. Martínez, Javier Diez, Alberto Fernández-Soto, Fernando Ballesteros, Amelia Ortiz-Gil in the over 25s category! To watch the shortlisted entries visit the Ode to Hubble webpage. The shortlist will be considered by our judging panel and the two final winners will be announced on the 24 April 2015. …

1 April 2015: In January this year ESA/Hubble made a call for proposals to informal education venues across Europe to apply for a large-scale print of the Hubble 25th anniversary image. We have now combed through the applications and selected over sixty venues whose proposals for an unveiling event and supporting activities were of the highest standards. The events will, by and large, take place on 23 April 2015 from 15:00 onwards, which is when Hubble’s 25th anniversary image will be published. If you are a media representative and would like to find out more about the events taking place near you and when they will take place you can find a full list on our website. The countries where unveilings will take place are: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Slovakia Turkey …

26 March 2015: ESA/Hubble offers almost 4000 image and over 1000 videos for the use of the media, researchers and the public. All of ESA/Hubble’s images and videos are provided free of charge, and most of our internet traffic results from the distribution of videos — everything from video podcasts to large ultra HD and planetarium fulldome videos. Some of the bigger files are a few gigabytes in size, and can be hundreds of gigabytes for fulldome planetarium clips. Up to now ESA/Hubble has only had one server location — at the European Southern Observatory’s Headquarters in Germany — from where it distributed all content across the globe. However, with a large amount of ESA/Hubble’s public traffic originating from outside Europe, the disadvantage in terms of speed and the ease with which these users could access ESA/Hubble content has been a concern for more than a decade. The delivery of huge files across …

19 March 2015: As Hubble enters its 25th year in orbit, with celebrations planned around the world for its anniversary on 24 April 2015, this Hubblecast celebrates the relationship that the telescope will have with its future colleague, the James Webb Space Telescope. You can subscribe to the Hubblecasts in iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other Hubblecast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the Hubblecast in multiple languages, or translate this video on dotSUB. Credit: Directed by: Georgia Bladon Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Georgia Bladon and Nicky Guttridge Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa Images: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University), ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, M. McCaughrean & M. Andersen (AIP) Videos: NASA, ESA/Hubble Animations: Martin Kornmesser, Luis Calcada, NASA, ESA/Hubble Music: Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com) …