NASA's X-ray Space Telescope is Observing COSMOS
Exciting news for space enthusiasts. NASA's newest space observatory, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer or IXPE is set to begin looking even deeper into the mysteries of space.
The 730 pound or 330 kilograms satellite launched on December 8th, 2021, using the previously flown SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The focus will be on black holes and neurons in particular, hopefully giving astronomers and other space enthusiasts more insight on these mysterious phenomena of the cosmos.
Why use x-rays? X-rays are a high-energy type of light that are emitted from intensely energetic objects, such as the jets spewing from black holes or exploding stars. This allows astronomers to study these events in a way that's not possible using other wavelengths. What sets IXPE apart is its polarization of light.
This comes with challenges, however, since these x-rays can only be studied in detail from space. To get around this obstacle, NASA launched a fleet of space-based observatories to get images from gaseous nebulae (where stars are born) and of course, black holes.
#nasa #IXPE #cosmos
