The LEGO Group has today revealed its latest galactic build, but did you know the stand features three distinct images that tell a hidden story?
Launching on August 1, 11382 Hubble Space Telescope is a 1,252-piece LEGO Icons set priced at £119.99 / $139.99 / €129.99. The build recreates the famous space telescope in brick form, complete with an astronaut minifigure, and a uniquely designed display stand.
The stand which the build stands on features three side stickers: the Pillars of Creation, the Whirlpool Galaxy, and the Butterfly Nebula. While they may initially appear to be a simple celebration of some of Hubble’s most famous images, their selection tells a much deeper story.
The first sticker is the Eagle Nebula, better known as the Pillars of Creation, which is arguably Hubble’s most iconic image. Captured by the telescope in 1995, the image shows enormous columns of gas and dust where new stars are forming. Released just five years after Hubble launched into orbit, the photograph helped transform the telescope into a household name and became one of the most recognisable images in astronomy.
The LEGO Group previously recreated the image in April 2021 as part of its LEGO Go Beyond space campaign, with the artwork displayed in 160 LEGO Stores around the world.
The middle sticker features M51, more commonly known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. This is one of Hubble’s most celebrated galaxy images, showcasing the telescope’s ability to capture the intricate spiral arms of galaxies, as well as star-forming regions, and how they interact with each other. First discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, the galaxy sits around 23 million light-years away, yet Hubble’s observations revealed incredible levels of detail, demonstrating the telescope’s ability to explore distant corners of the universe.
Finally, the Butterfly Nebula, also known as NGC 6302, completes the trio. First recorded in the 19th century, this spectacular nebula was created by a dying Sun-like star shedding its outer layers. Hubble’s observations revealed the intricate wings of glowing gas and dust in unprecedented detail, making it one of the telescope’s most visually striking discoveries.
The choice of these three images appears to be far from random. Together, they represent the life cycle of stars.
The Pillars of Creation show the beginning, with new stars being born from clouds of gas and dust. The Whirlpool Galaxy represents stars in their prime, with galaxies filled with movement, formation and activity. Finally, the Butterfly Nebula shows the end of a star’s journey, capturing the final stages of a Sun-like star’s life.
Together, the images form a fitting tribute to Hubble’s incredible ability to study the universe across vastly different scales and moments in time. The telescope allows us to witness the birth of stars, observe galaxies millions of light-years away, and study the dramatic final moments of stellar evolution.
While these are three of Hubble’s most recognisable images, placing them together in this order gives the LEGO Icons set a deeper meaning: a journey through the universe from creation to transformation and, eventually, an ending.
Releasing on August 1, 11382 Hubble Space Telescope is available to pre-order now from LEGO.com, priced at £119.99 / $139.99 / €129.99.
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