How Does Hubble Take Pictures of the Universe?

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Hubble's ability to capture deep images of the universe relies on long exposure times to gather enough light from distant objects, which can be billions of light-years away. The telescope often focuses on a single area for extended periods, such as 80 days, to accumulate photons and create detailed images. This method helps eliminate cosmic ray artifacts and enhances image clarity. Recent advancements, like the use of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), have allowed for deeper observations than previous projects. Overall, the cumulative effect of prolonged observation is essential for producing high-quality astronomical images.
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I read recently on the BBC digital news service that Hubble has taken a picture of the Universe that dates back further than any other and to do this i stayed fixed on one spot of the Universe for 80 days. How is it that, it worked?

Im sure i should know why, but just can't seem to get my head round it.
 
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Not sure what your question is Andy.

AFAIK, the deepest Hubble piccie was taken last year, of a small part of the outskirts of M31:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2003/15/

This was deeper than the Hubble Deep South and North work, partly because it used the new ACS, rather than the older cameras (now retired).

The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (UDF) observations are now in progress; they involve accumulating multiple images of the one small region of sky over many, many orbits.
http://www.stsci.edu/hst/udf/index_html

Why don't they just take one piccie, in a single 80-hour 'exposure'? All kinds of reasons! Perhaps the most basic is the need to remove cosmic ray artifacts.
 
I'm sure he's talking about ultra deep field. A more recent release with some teaser photos: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3387919.stm

Long exposures are made because the longer you look at something, the more light you gather - its a cumulative effect. If you are looking at something 14 billion light years away, you need to look at it for a long time to get enough photons to form an image.
 
Yea, i was trying to ask why it is that it needed to be pointed at one spot for such along time, but it i see it clearly now, or more clearer i should say. It took that long to get enough photons to form a detailed image rather than a rough one, which would hav on required a couple of days.

I doubt that helped you either, but rest assured i now know what i set to find out.
 
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I would have been satisfied if i was told to shut up and stop asking stupid questions!

lol.
 
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