In 1990, NASA realized that if humanity were ever to understand the universe in its entirety, then it must be observed from outer space. To that end, the Hubble Telescope was launched just outside of the Earth’s orbit, and the endeavor was no disappointment. Hubble has captured images and data of distant galaxies, rogue planets, and even the mysterious substance dark energy, which may tear the very universe to shreds. Luckily for us, we can track Hubble’s findings by visiting http://hubblesite.org/.The Hubble Site is bursting with information about the cosmos. The home page offers pod-casts, videos, fantastic images, and the latest news about the Hubble Telescope’s discoveries. The “Reference Desk” section covers the materials that are critical for the novice astronomer. The “Explore Astronomy” link offers the weekly audio broadcast “Sky Watch” as well as interactive quizzes and presentations to re-enforce student learning. But the most interesting items on the Hubble Site are found under the “News Desk.” This is where the most current and pertinent information about our universe is posted.
The site is very easy to use, and the copious information is captivating. However, there is one issue with the overall design of the Hubble Site that I find to be tragic: whenever the user clicks on a link, the artistic scheme of the page changes completely! The only clue that the users have as to whether or not they are still reading about the cosmos is that the upper-left hand corner says “Hubble Site.” This is extremely jarring, and while all of the links are beautifully woven together, this aesthetic oversight hopelessly discombobulates the user.
Overall, while the Hubble Site may not be the most practical thing for a college student to visit, it will satiate our curiosity regarding the destruction of the universe. The site has terrific information that is beautifully put together, even if the visual look and feel completely changes with each component. Adding both the effective and ineffective, I would rate this website as a B+, or perhaps even an A-.