We’ve always looked up at the night sky and searched for meaning amongst the stars. Space telescopes provide our clearest view yet, allowing us to observe the universe in new ways – uninterrupted by Earthly light pollution and atmospheric distortions. These telescopes have revealed regions where stars are born, answered questions about the origins of the universe and sent back countless images that have amazed and inspired millions.

This data visualization plots the history of space telescopes chronologically by their launch date. Spikes show their orbital range, circles depict their mass, and colour is used to denote the type of telescope. 

You can see a high res version of the data viz here.