NASA's Hubble Space Telescope marks 36 years in orbit with stunning brand new image of ‘Cosmic Sea Slug’: PHOTOS

NASA is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in Earth's orbit, sharing a new image of the Trifid Nebula, nicknamed the “Cosmic Sea Slug,” first revealed in 1997. The school-bus-sized telescope has since made nearly 1.7 million observations, targeting about 55,000 astronomical objects. Its discoveries have resulted in over 22,000 scientific papers and more than 1.3 million citations, making it one of the most influential scientific instruments ever built. Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990. NASA is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in Earth’s orbit, sharing a new image of the Trifid Nebula, nicknamed the “Cosmic Sea Slug,” first revealed in 1997. The school-bus-sized telescope has since made nearly 1.7 milli... [408 chars]