The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded images the galaxy NGC 1546, located in the constellation Dorado. Photo: Hubble / Nasa
The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded images the galaxy NGC 1546, located in the constellation Dorado. Photo: Hubble / Nasa
The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded images the galaxy NGC 1546, located in the constellation Dorado. Photo: Hubble / Nasa
The Hubble Space Telescope has recorded images the galaxy NGC 1546, located in the constellation Dorado. Photo: Hubble / Nasa

Hubble Space Telescope takes striking image of distant galaxy after surviving glitch


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

The Hubble Space Telescope has resumed scientific operations and captured a detailed image of a distant galaxy, after weeks of inactivity due to technical issues.

This follows a transition to a new operational mode relying on a single gyroscope – a critical instrument for controlling and orienting the telescope.

The ageing observatory, which was launched in 1990, entered safe mode on May 24 because of a malfunctioning gyro that prevented its operations.

We’re poised now for many years of discovery ahead
Dr Jennifer Wiseman,
senior project scientist for Hubble

When built, it was fitted with six gyros, but only three remain active. Nasa decided a few weeks ago to save two for future use and utilise just one to resume operations.

“Hubble’s new image of a spectacular galaxy demonstrates the full success of our new, more stable pointing mode for the telescope,” said Dr Jennifer Wiseman, senior project scientist for Hubble at Nasa.

“We’re poised now for many years of discovery ahead, and we’ll be looking at everything from our Solar System to exoplanets to distant galaxies.”

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990. Reuters
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990. Reuters

The new image features galaxy NGC 1546, which is located in the constellation Dorado, 169 light years away from Earth.

It shows the galaxy's dust lanes, which are backlit by its core, as well as several background galaxies, including a spiral one positioned to the left of NGC 1546.

Even though Nasa has figured out a way to extend Hubble's operations, there are now minor limitations on the telescope's data-gathering abilities, due to the decision to use only one gyro.

These include needing more time to turn and lock on to a target, meaning it will not have as much flexibility as to where it can observe at any given time.

The telescope will also not be able to track moving objects closer than Mars, though Nasa said that these are rare occurrences anyway.

Hubble, which has cost Nasa more than $16 billion so far, has been observing the universe for more than three decades – long exceeding its original expected mission lifespan of 15 years.

Despite its ageing hardware, Hubble continues to deliver groundbreaking scientific findings. These include data helping scientists to measure the universe’s expansion rate, detailed images of nebulas – also known as star nurseries – and uncovering the presence of water vapour in the atmospheres of planets outside our Solar System.

Over the years, it has faced multiple technical issues requiring numerous repairs and upgrades, including five servicing missions by space shuttle crews.

The James Webb Space Telescope, a $10 billion observatory, was launched in 2021 and is 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

It operates primarily in the infrared spectrum, allowing it to peer through cosmic dust and observe the universe's earliest galaxies and star formations.

The “time travel machine” has already made significant discoveries, including observations of the Cartwheel Galaxy, detecting water in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-96b and capturing the most detailed images of the Southern Ring Nebula.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.

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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series

May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China

Dr Graham's three goals

Short term

Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines


Intermediate term

Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations


Long term

A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness  

FIXTURES

UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
 

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.

FA Cup semi-finals

Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)

Matches on Bein Sports

Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained

Defined Benefit Plan (DB)

A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.

Defined Contribution Plan (DC) 

A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE

Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)

Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder

Gearbox  Nine-speed automatic

Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm

Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs

Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Transmission: two-speed

Power: 671hp

Torque: 1050Nm

Range: 450km

Price: Dh601,800

On sale: now

SCORES

Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Updated: June 21, 2024, 12:38 PM`