April 25th was the 25th anniversary of NASA’s launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) was one of the most important observational cosmologists of the 20th century. He showed that the recessional velocity of a galaxy increases with its distance from the earth, supporting the theory of an expanding universe.

The images show stars, galaxies and dust. They have a beauty of a unique order.

Their numbers, dimensions, distances and time scales are difficult for us to conceive. Though enhanced by different technologies, these images help us understand our own place in this space.