海角大神

Today鈥檚 issue explores Nova Scotia鈥檚 strength amid grief, the surprising effects of the oil price plunge, a new poignancy to Portugal鈥檚 day of celebration, a聽vision of the future in Boston鈥檚 empty streets, and the comfort of foster pets.

For millennia, humans have looked up at the cosmos with wonder. And for the past 30 years, ethereal images of deep space snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope have added immensely to that awe.聽

Today marks three decades since Hubble launched. Originally planned to operate for 15 years, Hubble has far exceeded expectations. It has provided invaluable scientific data on everything from the expansion of the universe to dark matter to the atmospheres of exoplanets. But perhaps its greatest contribution has been the spectacular images generated by that data.聽

Hubble鈥檚 breathtaking portraits 鈥� especially of the Eagle Nebula, known as the 鈥淧illars of Creation鈥� 鈥� have captured the imaginations of many outside science, earning it the nickname, 鈥渢he people鈥檚 telescope.鈥� As former Monitor science correspondent Pete Spotts once wrote, 鈥淗ubble and its images have transcended the confines of science conferences to become聽a global ambassador for astronomy.鈥�

鈥淧illars of Creation,鈥� like so many Hubble images, stands not only as a spectacular illustration of the beauty of deep space, but also of its mind-blowing science. Those pillars of gas and dust are incubating new stars. And, from our tiny space rock 7,000 light-years away, considering that vastness can be astonishing and humbling.