Happy Birthday Hubble

The Hubble Space Telescope turns 25 today. It was launched into space aboard STS-31 on April 24, 1990 and deployed by the crew the next day. To celebrate the momentous achievements made from the space telescope’s observations, NASA and ESA released this image of “nature’s own fireworks—a giant cluster of about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2.” See more photos in our gallery about 10 ways Hubble has ushered in a new age of astronomy.