Earlier this week, NASAs Hubble Space Telescope logged its one millionth science observation during a search for water in an exoplanets atmosphere 1,000 light years away.
“The Hubble Space Telescope was designed to study the universe on the largest scales,鈥� said Eric Agol, 黑料老司机 assistant professor of astronomy, who conducts theoretical interpretation of data from the Hubble. “It is a testament to its versatility and durability that after two decades of operation it is being used to look for water vapor in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a relatively nearby star in our galaxy.鈥�
The Hubble has been operating for 21 years. Well known for its stunning imagery of the cosmos, the millionth observation is a spectroscopic measurement, where light is divided into its component colors. These color patterns can reveal the chemical composition of cosmic sources, according to a NASA news release.