I was sitting in my backyard the other night, living in Arizona we can do that in January more comfortably than we can in say August, when I saw one of the most brilliant sights I've ever seen. At first I wasn't quite sure that what I'd seen was real because it was just that beautiful. I thought, maybe it was a firecracker? No, I didn't hear any sound accompanying it. Maybe it was...or maybe...but no, the only thing I was certain it could be was a 'falling star.' Now, I've seen falling stars before, but this one was amazing.

This wasn't "my" shooting star, but it's the closest picture I could find that resembled what I saw.

It truly did streak across the sky; a red orb with a bright white tail. It was so beautiful and it seemed so close that I could have jumped up and caught it. Maybe that's what was so incredible--the nearness of it. It appeared to be within my very reach.

And that's what the Hubble telescope did for us here on Earth. It made space and the things out there seem accessible, knowable, and touchable. Without Hubble, we wouldn't know what dying stars look like or how many rings Saturn has. Without Hubble, we wouldn't be able to see pictures of our galaxy and the millions upon millions of stars that surround us. And we wouldn't have Hubble if not for the contributions of the ambitious Nancy Roman.

Who is Nancy Roman? We'll tell you and your little one all about her in our upcoming crate, the Ambitious Astronomer. Order yours here before January 15th to learn more about her amazing work and how she changed how we view space forever.

But until then, check out this website for truly magnificent and awe inspiring photos of stars that the Hubble Telescope has captured for us...thanks to Nancy Roman.