Discovery of the Hubble Deep Field (1995) by the Hubble Telescope

In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope made one of its most astonishing discoveries: the Hubble Deep Field (HDF). This observation was a monumental leap in our understanding of the universe's vastness and diversity.

The Hubble Deep Field is an image of a small region in the constellation Ursa Major, created using Hubble's sensitive optics to capture light from distant galaxies. This area was specifically chosen because it lacked known stars in the Milky Way, allowing for an unobstructed view of the distant universe.

Over ten consecutive days, Hubble collected faint light from this tiny patch of sky, revealing over 3,000 galaxies in various stages of evolution, some as old as 13 billion years. This discovery was groundbreaking because it provided a glimpse into the early universe, showing galaxies that formed shortly after the Big Bang.

The HDF became a key piece of evidence for the Big Bang theory and helped astronomers estimate the total number of galaxies in the observable universe. It also spurred further deep field observations, each expanding our cosmic perspective.