What is the approximate magnitude limit detectable by the Hubble Space Telescope?
Magnitude +30.
While the human eye has a practical limit around magnitude +6.0 or +6.5 under perfect conditions, advanced technology extends the observable range of the magnitude scale dramatically into the faint realm. Professional instruments are capable of detecting objects far dimmer than what is possible visually. Specifically, the Hubble Space Telescope is mentioned as having the technological capability to detect celestial objects reaching magnitudes approaching +30. This difference between the naked-eye limit and the telescope limit—a span of over 24 magnitudes—demonstrates the tremendous depth and quantitative power inherent in the logarithmic magnitude system when coupled with sensitive modern instrumentation, allowing astronomers to probe regions of extreme cosmic faintness.
