NASA's first book on the Hubble Space Telescope marks the 20th anniversary of one of history's most important scientific tools. Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. Of the more than 100 classic Hubble images that were selected by NASA's experts, the 20 most significant are accompanied by commentaries by notable scientists. Veteran astronauts from NASA's five remarkable manned missions to maintain the telescope also contribute to this volume, making it an authoritative account of a magnificent scientific achievement. Beyond its scientific contributions, twenty years of Hubble research and imagery--ranging from our planetary neighbors to the edge of time and space--have had a profound impact on the world's imagination and spiritual growth, as documented in this inspiring book.

Author Biography

Edward J. Weiler is an astrophysicist and a leading scientist at NASA. He served as Chief Scientist of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 until 1998. He is currently the Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate of NASA. He has published widely in scientific journals. Hubble was created by the team that has worked on Abrams's previous NASA books: Robert Jacobs, Connie Moore, and Bertram Ulrich, with the addition of Dwayne Brown and JD Harrington, all NASA staffers.