| Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope | |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | STS-35/STS-67 |
| Deployment From: | STS-35/ STS-67 |
| Instrument Type: | Ultraviolet Telescope |
| Telescope Diameter: | 90cm (40inches) |
The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) was a space telescope designed to make spectroscopic observations in the far-ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It was flown into orbit on the Space Shuttle and operated from the Shuttle's payload bay on two occasions: in December 1990, as part of Shuttle mission STS-35, and in March 1995, as part of mission STS-67.[1]
HUT was designed and built by a team based at Johns Hopkins University, led by Arthur Davidsen.[2] [3] The telescope consisted of a 90 cm main mirror used to focus ultraviolet light onto a spectrograph situated at the prime focus. This instrument had a spectroscopic range of 82.5 to 185 nms, and a spectral resolution of about 0.3 nm.It weighed 789 kilograms (1736 pounds).
HUT was used to observe a wide range of astrophysical sources, including supernova remnants, active galactic nuclei, cataclysmic variable stars, as well as various planets in the Solar System.[4] During the 1990 flight, HUT was used to make 106 observations of 77 astronomical targets. During the 1995 flight, 385 observations were made of 265 targets.[5]
HUT was co-mounted with WUPPE, HIT, and BBXRT on the Astro-1 mission (1990) and with just WUPPE and HIT on Astro-2 (in 1995).[6]
As of January 2023, HUT is now in storage at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. in the United States.[7]