Built in part in Danbury, it’s been circling the earth – and advancing our understanding of the universe – for nearly 20 years. Now, the Hubble Space Telescope has returned to Fairfield County and shares its celestial wonders in the IMAX movie “Hubble” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

“Hubble” takes audiences through distant galaxies at 11 a.m. and 1 & 3 p.m. daily through June 24 on the Aquarium’s six-story screen – the largest in Connecticut.

“With its ability to look deep into space with great clarity, the Hubble Space Telescope has had a profound impact on the way we view the universe and ourselves,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “It’s only fitting that some of Hubble’s discoveries be shared in a format that also is unmatched in its size and clarity: on IMAX film.”

“Hubble” was filmed by NASA astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in May 2009. Through the power of the immersive IMAX format, audiences will almost feel the weightlessness of space, but also the weighty task facing the space-walking astronauts assigned to carry out the final mission to update the telescope. “Hubble” also offers an incredible never-before-seen “flight” through Hubble imagery, providing a first-person journey from the Orion Nebula to the far reaches of our universe.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been called the most important scientific instrument since Galileo’s original telescope. Named after American astronomer Edwin Hubble, the telescope was designed to operate above Earth's turbulent and obscuring atmosphere and to observe celestial objects at ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths. It was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990, and deployed into orbit the next day.

Hubble’s Danbury Connection

Hubble's primary mirror and optical system was built by the Perkin-Elmer Corp. in Danbury. (That Perkin-Elmer business is now Goodrich Corp. ISR Systems in Danbury.) The 2009 Hubble servicing mission that was filmed in IMAX for “Hubble” included the installation of a new fine guidance sensor – built in Danbury by Goodrich ISR Systems – that will add years of productive life to the telescope. 

“Hubble” is an IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures production, in cooperation with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

The film is narrated by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.