Chandra X-ray Observatory

Chandra X-ray Observatory

Anyone who has ever been to the dentist knows all about X-rays. This form of radiation allows doctors to take detailed photos of our teeth to identify cavities, tooth decay, and other conditions.

But, did you know that X-rays are common in the Universe? They are emitted by stars, galaxies, black holes and other phenomena scattered throughout the cosmos. Fortunately for us, the Earth's atmosphere absorbs the vast majority of their X-rays before they strike the surface, preventing us from being overexposed to this dangerous radiation.

But, what is good for humanity is bad for astronomers, who for many years had a hard time studying cosmic X-rays from Earth. To solve this problem, NASA launched the Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1999. The telescope flies high above the atmosphere, and its instruments are so sensitive that they can detect X-rays that are 100 times fainter than any previous observatories launched into space.

Chandra was the third of NASA's four Great Observatories. Its sister observatories include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The telescope is named after famed Indian-American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who is best known for having determined the maximum mass of white dwarfs. The observatory was built by TRW (now Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems) in Redondo Beach, California.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has returned a treasure trove of X-ray images of star clusters, supernova remnants, galactic eruptions, and collisions between galaxy clusters. The telescope has found small, whirling neutron stars that generate streams of high-energy particles extending for light years. Chandra also observed the shadow of a small galaxy being cannibalized by a larger one for the very first time.

Chandra has discovered rapidly spinning, super-giant black holes in the center of galaxies that are millions of times more powerful than neutron stars. The energy that these black holes produce combines with surrounding gasses to produce powerful jets and solar winds that can affect entire galaxies. Chandra also has probed the complexities of space-time around black holes.

Chandra discovered a new type of black hole in the M82 galaxy, a mid-mass object that could be a link between stellar-sized and super-massive black holes. The telescope also found the heaviest black hole ever discovered in the M33 galaxy circling a star that is 70 times more massive than our Sun. The black hole is almost 16 times more massive than the Sun.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has allowed astronomers to study dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious phenomena that dominate the Universe. Dark matter is what helped to assemble galaxies and galaxy clusters early in the Universe's history. Dark energy is now causing the Universe to expand at an ever-increasing rate.

Chandra has conducted detailed observations of Cassiopeia A, which is the youngest supernova remnant in the Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers were able to determine that the remnant acts similar to a pinball machine, accelerating electrons to enormous energies.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has been one of NASA's most successful space science missions. The data it is collecting will keep scientists busy for many years.

Links

Harvard Chandra website

NASA Chandra website


 

 

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