Over the past three decades, the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionised our view of the cosmos. It has given us unprecedented views of galaxies, nebulae, new-born stars and planets, revealing clues about the nature of dark energy, supermassive black holes and the expansion of the Universe.

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This episode we look at how the mission was conceived, how astronauts repaired its faulty mirror, and some of the highlights from 30 years of incredible science.

But we also look to the future. NASA scientist Eric Smith tells us about Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, and how it is set to carry the observing baton.

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Listen to the podcast via Acast here.

Authors

Iain Todd BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Iain ToddScience journalist

Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor. He fell in love with the night sky when he caught his first glimpse of Orion, aged 10.