About the Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched on 24 April 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. It orbits Earth at approximately 540 km altitude, above the distortion of the atmosphere, providing some of the most detailed visible-light images of distant galaxies, nebulae and other astronomical objects.
Hubble is a 2.4-metre aperture telescope weighing approximately 11,000 kg. It has been serviced five times by Space Shuttle crews, most recently in 2009. Without further servicing missions (the Shuttle has since been retired), Hubble will gradually lose altitude and eventually re-enter the atmosphere — though NASA has explored using commercial vehicles to reboost it.
Visibility
Hubble is visible from the ground as a faint satellite (magnitude 1–2.5) under good conditions. It is not as bright as the ISS but can be spotted by patient observers in dark skies. Use Orbital Radar's Sat Pass tool to check when Hubble passes over your location.
How to Track
Open the Orbital Radar live tracker and use the Find Sat search to locate Hubble. You can track its real-time position, see its orbital ground track, and view detailed orbital parameters.