From the dawn of humankind to a mere 400 years ago, all that we knew about our universe came through observations with the naked eye. Then Galileo turned his telescope toward the heavens in 1610 - and the world was in for an awakening.

In the centuries that followed, telescopes grew in size and complexity and power. They were placed far from city lights and as far above the haze of the atmosphere as possible. Edwin Hubble, for whom the Hubble Telescope is named, used the largest telescope of his day in the 1920s at the Mt. Wilson Observatory near Pasadena, California, to discover galaxies beyond our own.

Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far beyond rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe - a spectacular vision brought to you in this gallery from MSN UK News.