Hubble at 28: Telescope has helped explain mysteries of universe

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 28th birthday this month, having delivered images of faraway stars and star systems and greatly expanded scientists' understanding of the universe since it's launch on April 19, 1990. File Photo by NASA/UPI

By Brooks Hays, UPI

Today, astronomers know the age and size of the universe with greater certainty and precision than they did 28 years ago, thanks to 28 years of working with the Hubble Space Telescope.

"When I was a grad student 30 years ago, we were arguing about the size and scale of the universe," NASA scientist Jeff Hayes told UPI.

Hayes has said those arguments featured estimates differing by a factor of two.

"Today, thanks to Hubbles' observations, we are down to a couple of percent," he said.

Hubble was designed to measure the size and age of the universe, as well as the rate of its expansion, and it succeeded in doing just that. Hayes said this has been Hubble's biggest breakthrough.