This is a composite image showing the visible and near infrared light spectrum collected from Hubble’s ACS and WFC3 instruments over a nine-year period.
NASA/ESA/H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech)/A. Koekemoer (STScI)/R. Windhorst (Arizona State Univ.)/Z. Levay (STScI)
The original Hubble Deep Field image gambled with precious telescope time by staring into a blank patch of space just to see what it could see. The thousands of colorful and infant galaxies it revealed have made it an astronomical classic, in terms of both imaging and science. This year, it celebrates its 20th anniversary — or birthday, if you prefer. And in the intervening years, astronomers have used similar techniques to stare longer into the abyss, peering further back in time and using the latest instruments to add layers of color and information. They revealed the latest and most colorful version of the Hubble Deep Field, the Ultraviolet Coverage of the Ultra Deep Field, only last year. At the first, last, and intermediate steps, Astronomy has been there to bring you the images and discoveries that probe galaxies from the beginning of the universe. Check out all our coverage of the growing family of Deep Field images below.
