On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth orbit. Over its 28- year career, Hubble has helped scientists make incredible discoveries, from evidence of dark energy in the early universe to comets whizzing into our solar system.

Museum Astrophysics Curator Michael Shara, who worked with the Hubble mission during his time at the Space Telescope Science Institute, discusses how scientists have used Hubble to learn about the cosmos, shares the experience of Hubble’s launch and early days, and looks ahead to the future of this extraordinary telescope and its successor.

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