STS-31, the #SpaceShuttle mission that deployed the #Hubble Space Telescope, launched #OTD in 1990: April 24.
However, the astronauts didn't deploy the observatory until April 25.
My view -- which is not held by the good folks at STScI -- is that Hubble's birthday is thus the 25th; I liken it to April 24th is when Hubble's parents drove to the hospital / went into labor, but the 25th is when it was born. #Astrodon#HistoryOfAstronomy#NASA
This cylindrical dome at Brera astronomical observatory in Milan, Italy, still houses the 8" Merz refracting telescope Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli used for his observations of the canals of Mars since 1877.
For a dozen years or so I worked there doing astronomy outreach and education. It's a magical place, a time machine with steampunk vibes.
In my retroastronomy days I had a job doing guided tours and other astronomy outreach activities at the Brera observatory in Milan, Italy.
The highlight of the tour was the 21.8 cm Merz refractor astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli used for his pioneering observations of the canals of Mars in the late 19th century.
Here's yours truly showing the telescope to a group of visitors in October of 2011.
"people are to remove their headgear and cover their heads with their garments, then wail and cry aloud, begging the gods to save them, their cities, and their shrines"