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Celestial fireworks to celebrate Hubbles 25th birthday
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The image "Celestial Fireworks" was released to celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary. - photo by Natalie Crofts
GREENBELT, Md. For 25 years, the Hubble Space Telescope has been sending captivating images of the universe back to Earth.

The telescope was launched April 24, 1990 in the space shuttle Discovery and released into space the next day, according to NASA and the European Space Agency. The telescope is operated jointly by the two agencies.

Hubble has completely transformed our view of the universe, revealing the true beauty and richness of the cosmos, astronaut John Grunsfeld said in a statement.

The official 25th anniversary image, named Celestial Fireworks, showcases a giant cluster of stars known as Westerland 2. There are about 3,000 stars in the cluster, which is 20,000 light-years away from Earth, according to NASA.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the two space agencies also created a video series featuring interviews with the people who built, maintain and use data from the hubble. Four videos have been released so far, and more are on the way.

To celebrate Hubbles anniversary, we compiled a gallery of some of the stunning images the telescope has captured within the past year. Let us know what your favorites are in the comment section.
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