NASA’s trusty Hubble just got a new job: BGR

• The Hubble Space Telescope is about to embark on its most intense investigation ever.
• NASA has commissioned the space telescope to study over 300 stars in our galaxy and nearby galaxies.
• The survey will mainly focus on younger stars in hopes of better understanding their evolution.

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The Hubble Space Telescope has been with us for decades and has done an incredible job of documenting some of the most interesting aspects of the cosmos. Now, despite its advanced age, the trusty telescope has been in charge of its largest observing program ever, according to NASA, as it will study over 300 stars using their ultraviolet light signatures.

The survey, called the “UV Legacy Library of Young Stars as Essential Standards,” or ULLYSES for short, will aim to build documentation and data on young stars in our own Milky Way galaxy and on other stars of different ages in nearby galaxies.

Understanding how stars form, live and die is critical to our understanding of our galaxy and the universe as a whole. As NASA notes in a new blog post, with no stars, none of us would be here, and the universe “would be a pretty boring place” without them. Indeed, if the big bang material had never fused into stars, many elements would not exist and planets like Earth simply would not be possible.

“One of the key objectives of ULLYSES is to form a comprehensive reference sample that can be used to create spectral libraries that capture the diversity of stars, ensuring a legacy dataset for a wide range of astrophysical topics. ULLYSES is expected to have a lasting impact on the future research of astronomers around the world, “ULLYSES program manager Julia Roman-Duval said in a statement.” This unique collection enables diverse and exciting astrophysics research in many fields. ” .

NASA says the program’s overall goal is “to provide astronomers with a much better understanding of star birth and how it relates to everything from planets to the formation and evolution of galaxies.” Indeed, stars are crucial to the life of galaxies, as the young star-forming regions of galaxies are always the most active and, in turn, volatile.

“The ULLYSES program is building a legacy for the future by creating a comprehensive database that astronomers will use for research for decades to come,” says NASA. “The archive also complements parts of the star formation history that will soon be obtained with infrared light observations from NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Working together, both Hubble and Webb will provide a holistic view of the stars and the history of the universe’s star formation. “

The program is also a great reminder of how incredible Hubble is, and how big of a role it has played in our understanding of the cosmos in the past and, moving forward, how valuable it will continue to be in the future.