1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,379 The Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 34th anniversary in orbit on April 24th, 2024. 2 00:00:11,379 --> 00:00:23,487 To mark the occasion, scientists premiered this beautiful image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula. 3 00:00:23,487 --> 00:00:29,115 Located approximately 3,400 light-years away… 4 00:00:29,115 --> 00:00:40,278 …the Little Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula, which is an expanding shell of gas around an aging or dying star. 5 00:00:40,278 --> 00:00:53,245 Here are a few of the achievements from Hubble’s 34th year in orbit. 6 00:00:53,245 --> 00:01:02,715 Within our Solar System 7 00:01:02,715 --> 00:01:09,771 Hubble kept a close eye on Jupiter’s Great Red Spot… 8 00:01:09,771 --> 00:01:18,497 ...and the equally interesting Red Spot Jr. 9 00:01:18,497 --> 00:01:28,202 Hubble uncovered a link between Neptune's shifting clouds and the 11-year solar cycle. 10 00:01:28,202 --> 00:01:39,572 Two years after the solar cycle's peak, more intense ultraviolet radiation floods the solar system and causes an increase in Neptune’s clouds. 11 00:01:39,572 --> 00:01:49,767 When NASA slammed the DART impactor spacecraft into Dimorphos at 14,000 miles per hour… 12 00:01:49,767 --> 00:02:00,775 …Hubble's extraordinary sensitivity discovered a swarm of boulders that may have been shaken off the asteroid. 13 00:02:00,775 --> 00:02:08,575 Beyond our Solar System 14 00:02:08,575 --> 00:02:19,993 Using Hubble, astronomers observed the smallest exoplanet where water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere. 15 00:02:19,993 --> 00:02:32,596 Planet GJ 9827d, roughly twice Earth’s diameter, could be an example of planets in our galaxy with water-rich atmospheres. 16 00:02:32,596 --> 00:02:43,525 Hubble found a young planet whirling around a red dwarf star that is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. 17 00:02:43,525 --> 00:02:56,748 It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent blast of energy, which evaporates and puffs off its hydrogen atmosphere. 18 00:02:56,748 --> 00:03:07,431 Some of the best evidence yet was found for the presence of a rare class of "intermediate-sized" black holes. 19 00:03:07,431 --> 00:03:18,565 It may be lurking in the heart of the closest globular star cluster to Earth, Messier 4, located 6,000 light-years away. 20 00:03:18,565 --> 00:03:27,604 Beyond our Galaxy 21 00:03:27,604 --> 00:03:33,476 Hubble caught a fast radio burst (FRB)... 22 00:03:33,476 --> 00:03:43,588 …a fleeting blast of energy that can – for a few milliseconds – outshine an entire galaxy. 23 00:03:43,588 --> 00:03:52,967 This new FRB is particularly weird because it erupted halfway across the universe… 24 00:03:52,967 --> 00:04:03,866 …making it the farthest and most powerful example detected to date. 25 00:04:03,866 --> 00:04:14,386 Hubble also spotted a rare phenomenon, called a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient. 26 00:04:14,386 --> 00:04:24,543 These are among the brightest known visible-light events in the universe, going off unexpectedly like camera flashbulbs. 27 00:04:24,543 --> 00:04:35,635 Only a handful have been found since the first discovery in 2018, an event located about 200 million light-years away. 28 00:04:35,635 --> 00:04:46,998 Joining forces, Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope took an image of galaxy cluster MACS0416. 29 00:04:46,998 --> 00:04:56,092 The resulting image combines visible and infrared light to assemble… 30 00:04:56,092 --> 00:05:07,999 …one of the most comprehensive views of the universe ever taken. 31 00:05:07,999 --> 00:05:20,232 In one of the most ambitious Hubble Space Telescope programs to date, the ULLYSES survey gathered data on nearly 500 young stars over three years. 32 00:05:20,232 --> 00:05:28,470 Collecting data from stars both within the Milky Way and outside of it… 33 00:05:28,470 --> 00:05:37,970 …this extensive effort provides invaluable insights into star formation, evolution, and how stars influence their surroundings. 34 00:05:37,970 --> 00:05:47,735 Enabled by Hubble's unique ultraviolet capabilities, this transformative survey promises to reshape… 35 00:05:47,735 --> 00:05:56,797 …our understanding of stars and their environments for years to come. 36 00:05:56,797 --> 00:06:18,735 Hubble also released an abundance of beautiful images… 37 00:06:18,735 --> 00:06:38,487 [Slow Zoom Out of new Image. Pinks and blues in two lobes on either side.] 38 00:06:38,487 --> 00:06:49,504 After 34 years, Hubble keeps expanding our knowledge of the cosmos, inspiring awe with its discoveries. 39 00:06:49,504 --> 00:07:07,193 Follow us on social media @NASAHubble