It's has to be the greatest .
2007-02-11 17:28:20 · 5 answers · asked by tuxedo cat 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The red shift resulting from the expansion of the universe was discovered years before Hubble
"Pillars of creation" was spectacular imagery, but not really a discovery.
Generating public interest in astronomy is great but is not a discovery
Actual discoveries of Hubble:
- Significant observations verifying the existnece of black holes
- Discovery of planets orbiting other star systems
Both are of great significance - hard to choose between them
2007-02-11 17:47:49 · answer #1 · answered by amused_from_afar 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably the most significant image taken by Hubble was the "Pillars of Creation" photo of the Eagle Nebula. Lots of people took notice then... That was probably the "greatest" moment for Hubble.
LATER:
Amused from afar (below) is right!
The image I speak of was instrumental in bringing Hubble into public awareness but was NOT a discovery. It WAS the first good look at the Eagle Nebula, though, and it was the first time we had actual clear pictures of stars being born.
Although Hubble only strengthened the theory for black holes (not proved it) it DID verify the existence of other planets so I'd go with that discovery; New planets.
2007-02-12 01:41:30 · answer #2 · answered by ZZ9 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To me the Hubble's greatest contribution has been to get the general public enthusiastic about space and astronomy. It's really done a lot to show people what is out there in the universe and to make people proud of our spaceflight capabilities. Not just to launch an amazing observatory but to repair, maintain, and upgrade it in space using a manned space shuttle. These are incredibly impressive feats of technological skill that the general public would not know much about without the Hubble Space Telescope.
2007-02-12 01:34:42 · answer #3 · answered by paulie_biggs 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That you could take a whole agency full of PhD's to spend enormous amounts of money and time to build the most advanced telescope ever..........and then DISCOVER that none of the PhD's figured out the lense was cut wrong until it was in space.
2007-02-12 02:51:02 · answer #4 · answered by readmywritings 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's power proved conclusively that Edwin Hubble's hypothesis that the universe is "infinitely" expanding (might have been just an observational expansion to the big bang theory..)
[edit] wait, the guy above me has a good point. i like his better.
2007-02-12 01:34:54 · answer #5 · answered by Max R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋