A number of images captured by the Hubble Telescope have been recreated with LEGO® elements and will soon be on display in selected LEGO stores from April 18th. In the last 30 years, nothing has taken us deeper into space – or better shaped the way we see the universe than the Hubble Space Telescope. Launched in 1990 from the Space Shuttle Discovery, it was named for Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer who discovered that there were countless galaxies beyond our own Milky Way. To date, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.4 million observations, giving the world stunning views of the most distant stars, planets and galaxies. A small number of the images captured by Hubble and recreated with LEGO bricks can be found below. If you can’t make it to a LEGO store or fancy a challenge, you can also download instructions to recreate the images yourself. Learn more below.
LEGO RECREATES FAMOUS “PILLARS OF CREATION” IMAGE FROM THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IN LEGO FORM
Inspirational 3D models to be displayed in over 150 LEGO Stores worldwide
14th April 2021: As part of the LEGO Go Beyond space campaign, images from the famous Hubble Space Telescope have been recreated in LEGO bricks and unveiled in 168 LEGO stores across the globe.
The campaign kicked off with the launch of the LEGO NASA® Space Shuttle Discovery last month, which features both the shuttle and famous Hubble Space Telescope.
Ideal for adult builders, the new set is a detailed recreation of the STS-31 mission which launched in 1990 and saw the Discovery space Shuttle and its five crew members launch the Hubble Space Telescope into the cosmos. Ever since, the Hubble Space Telescope has shared wondrous images of deep space, leading to breakthroughs in astrophysics and space exploration.
The LEGO Group has taken three variations of the famous Pillars of Creation image and recreated them as 20×20” multi-dimensional brick works of art in the style of bas-relief to feature in LEGO stores. Brick lovers will also be able to recreate their own versions at home, thanks to instructions hosted on LEGO.com/gobeyond.
The aptly named Pillars of Creation, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, are part of an active star-forming region within the nebula and hide newborn stars in their wispy columns.
Former NASA astronaut, Dr. Kathy Sullivan, who was part of the original STS-31 mission, who took part in an exclusive Q&A www.LEGO.com/gobeyond for the launch of the new LEGO space set, also discussed her favourite Hubble images: “There are so many spectacular images that the Hubble Space Telescope has been able to capture over the years. Some of my favourites include the Ultra Deep Field, which looked at a small patch of sky and found endless galaxies; The Light Echo, which captures the reverberation of light through space caused by the outburst of a star; and Pillars of Creation, as it looks at a region where stars are being born. What the telescope has been able to capture over the years is truly extraordinary.”
The 3D structures will be in selected LEGO stores worldwide from 18th April and available to view on LEGO.com/gobeyond, where you can also sign up to LEGO VIP to view the full interview with Former NASA Astronaut Dr. Sullivan about the original ST-13 mission and deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope.
