Is the Hubble Space telescope aligned like a land based telescope would be polar aligned?

Question

To take astro-photographs on the earth, needs your telescope to be accurately aligned on one axis to the pole star, how is the hubble scope able to take great pictures, is it aligned or does it use some other mechanism?

Answer 1

On Earth, telescopes have to be aligned because they are "fixed" to the surface of the Earth, which is rotating. Thus the "polar" axis around which the scope pivots to remain centered upon the object at which it is pointed. The Hubble, in space, is pointed at it's target without reference to the Earth. Although it moves in an orbit roughly 9000 miles in diameter every 100 minutes or so, and moves with the Earth at a speed of roughly 65000 miles per hour, nothing except some extremely small tidal gravitational forces, counterbalanced by the pointing gyroscopes, moves the Hubble away from its targets.

Answer 2

It is free floating is space. It is aligned by reference to its on-board gyroscopes, not to the Earth.

Answer 3

http://hubblesite.org/
http://hubble.nasa.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

the hubble has several instruments and can move