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[Rhea Thomas]

Astronomers Select Top Ten Most
Amazing Pictures Taken by Hubble
Space Telescope in Last 16 Years


"...they illustrate that our universe is not only deeply strange, but also almost impossibly beautiful."
Michael Hanlon/AH (Nov 25th, 2006)
After correcting an initial problem with the lens, when the Hubble Space Telescope was first launched in 1990, the floating astro-observatory began to relay back to Earth, incredible snapshots of the "final frontier" it was perusing.
Recently, astronauts voted on the top photographs taken by Hubble, in its 16-year journey so far. Remarking in the article from the Daily Mail, reporter Michael Hanlon says the photos "illustrate that our universe is not only deeply strange, but also almost impossibly beautiful."[/b][/size]


Hubble telescope's top ten greatest space photographs:

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The Sombrero Galaxy - 28 million light years from Earth - was voted best picture taken by the Hubble telescope. The dimensions of the galaxy, officially called M104, are as spectacular as its appearance. It has 800 billion suns and is 50,000 light years across.

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In third place is Nebula NGC 2392, called Eskimo because it looks like a face
surrounded by a furry hood. The hood is, in fact, a ring of com et -shaped objects
flying away from a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.

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At four is the Cat's Eye Nebula

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The Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years away, has a pinched-in-the-middle
look because the winds that shape it are weaker at the centre.

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In sixth place is the Cone Nebula. The part pictured here is 2.5 light years in
length (the equivalent of 23 million return trips to the Moon).