A presentation by:
Dr. Kavan U. Ratnatunga, Astronomer, Associate Research Professor

An event to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009)
Hosted by the Maldives Science Society

Date: Wednesday, 11th February 2009
Time: 8:30 PM
Venue: MCSE Seminar Room

Launched in April of 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has been providing scientists and the public with spectacular images of deep space. One of the most technologically advanced pieces of equipment that humans have put into orbit, Hubble has helped researchers make important discoveries about our universe, ranging from planets and stars to galaxies and cosmology. Thanks to incredible efforts of scientists and engineers, the telescope has also given astronomers insight into the history and fate of our universe.

Hubble Facts
• The Hubble Space Telescope was named after Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) who discovered the expansion of the universe and formulated what is now known as Hubble’s Law.

• Hubble is 13.2 meters (43.5 ft.) long and its maximum diameter is 4.2 meters (14 ft.) It is about the size of a large tractor-trailer truck.

• Provided that Hubble passes closely enough overhead, it is relatively dark, and the skies are clear enough, Hubble can be seen with the naked eye.

• Hubble completes one orbit around the Earth (crossing over the same longitude line) every 96 minutes. Its speed is approximately 8 km per second (5 miles per second).

• On August 11, 2008 the Hubble Space Telescope completed its 100,000th orbit.

Dr. Kavan Ratnatunga
Dr Kavan Ratnatunga’s 25 year career included research at Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton (1984/86), Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria Canada (1986/88), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt (1989/91), Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (1992/96), and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (1996/2004). Highlights of over 50 publications in refereed Journals included the First in-situ sample of Field Halo K-giants in Galactic Halo (1983), and the First Quad Gravitational Lens discovered with NASA Hubble Space Telescope (1995).

On behalf of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), he is the chairman of the International Year of Astronomy IYA2009 committee for Sri Lanka.