The hubble telescope the hubble telescope is a large telescope that orbits earth. it was named after edwin hubble. hubble was an astronomer. the hubble was launched in 1990 by nasa, the united states' space program. it uses a 94- inch mirror to collect light. data are sent back to earth by radio. since it is above earth's atmosphere, it gives us clearer pictures of space than telescopes on earth can. it can also see farther. with this powerful tool, we've learned a lot about the universe. what scientists have learned from the hubble the hubble has allowed us to watch stars form. it also has let us see into distant galaxies. we've been able to test our ideas. for example, before the hubble, black holes were just a theory. we didn't know for sure that they existed. the hubble has shown us evidence of black holes in space. the telescope has us find places to land data-gathering robots on mars. we've used it to track the paths of comets. we've also been able to see volcanoes erupt on 10, one of jupiter's moons. telescopes that are larger than the hubble are now being created but the hubble is the first of its kind. why does being in outer space make hubble a better telescope?