1
00:00:03,050 --> 00:00:09,679
NASA is celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope’s
32nd birthday with a stunning look at five

2
00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:16,070
galaxies, a close-knit collection called the
Hickson Compact Group 40.

3
00:00:16,070 --> 00:00:22,630
This amazing assembly includes a giant elliptical
galaxy, glowing with blended light from billions

4
00:00:22,630 --> 00:00:24,529
of stars.

5
00:00:24,529 --> 00:00:31,419
Several spiral galaxies show prominent dusty
lanes that outline their winding spiral arms,

6
00:00:31,419 --> 00:00:34,870
regions where star formation is active.

7
00:00:34,870 --> 00:00:41,030
We see one galaxy oriented edge-on, showing
off its prominent dust along its flattened

8
00:00:41,030 --> 00:00:43,590
starry disk.

9
00:00:43,590 --> 00:00:48,940
This eclectic group of galaxies is held together
in a gravitational dance.

10
00:00:48,940 --> 00:00:53,700
The group is so crowded that it could fit
within a space less than twice the span of

11
00:00:53,700 --> 00:00:57,070
our own Milky Way galaxy’s disk.

12
00:00:57,070 --> 00:01:02,859
A mysterious and invisible form of matter,
called dark matter, may explain this tightly

13
00:01:02,859 --> 00:01:04,530
bound group.

14
00:01:04,530 --> 00:01:09,680
When galaxies with a lot of dark matter come
close together, that dark matter can form

15
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,540
a big cloud around the entire group.

16
00:01:12,540 --> 00:01:18,610
As the galaxies plow through this cloud of
dark matter, its gravitational effects act

17
00:01:18,610 --> 00:01:24,580
like a frictional force that slows their motion,
causing the galaxies to lose energy and fall

18
00:01:24,580 --> 00:01:26,640
together.

19
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,210
This snapshot catches the galaxies at a very
special moment in their lifetimes.

20
00:01:31,210 --> 00:01:38,540
In about 1 billion years they will eventually
collide and merge to form one giant elliptical

21
00:01:38,540 --> 00:01:39,720
galaxy.

22
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:46,220
Hubble’s incredible sensitivity also picks
up a diverse collection of more distant galaxies

23
00:01:46,220 --> 00:01:49,270
glowing in the background.

24
00:01:49,270 --> 00:01:55,320
Because Hubble orbits above Earth’s atmosphere,
it can give us these clear views of the many

25
00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,070
wonders in our universe.

26
00:01:58,070 --> 00:02:03,430
For 32 years, the Hubble Space Telescope has
changed the way we think of space and our

27
00:02:03,430 --> 00:02:05,790
place in the cosmos.

28
00:02:05,790 --> 00:02:12,300
Hubble has refined our understanding of the
age of the universe and its rate of expansion.

29
00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:18,230
Its deep field images have made it possible
for us to see across billions of light-years,

30
00:02:18,230 --> 00:02:24,810
revealing ancient, adolescent galaxies that
we can compare with our own Milky Way.

31
00:02:24,810 --> 00:02:30,060
Hubble remains in good health and is expected
to continue its exploration of the universe

32
00:02:30,060 --> 00:02:32,650
for years to come.

33
00:02:32,650 --> 00:02:38,260
Five astronaut servicing missions, along with
an expert technical team on the ground, have

34
00:02:38,260 --> 00:02:42,030
kept the telescope at the peak of its scientific
capabilities.

35
00:02:42,030 --> 00:02:50,120
You can find out more about the Hubble Space
Telescope at our website: nasa.gov/hubble

36
00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,620
and on social media @NASAHubble.