Chandra X-ray Observatory

A NASA space telescope launched in 1999 that observes high-energy X-rays from cosmic sources, including black holes, supernova remnants, and galaxy clusters.

Grazing-incidence optics: An optical design that reflects X-rays at shallow angles because they penetrate or pass through mirrors at steeper angles. Chandra’s nested mirrors use shallow reflections to focus X-rays that ordinary telescope mirrors cannot collect.
Cassiopeia A: A young supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia and a bright source of X-rays. Chandra mapped its hot debris and revealed the distribution of elements forged in the explosion.
Riccardo Giacconi: An Italian-American astrophysicist who pioneered X-ray astronomy and received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics. His early work helped establish the scientific case and technical foundations for major X-ray observatories.
XMM-Newton: An ESA-led X-ray space observatory launched in 1999, with large collecting area and strong spectroscopic capabilities. It complements Chandra with greater collecting area, while Chandra generally provides sharper X-ray images.
Black hole feedback: The influence of energy released by accreting black holes on their surrounding gas and host galaxies. Chandra’s X-ray images of cavities and shocks show how black holes transfer energy into cluster gas.
High-resolution mirror assembly: Chandra’s four nested mirror pairs, which focus incoming X-rays onto its detectors. Its exceptionally smooth, precisely aligned mirrors give Chandra unusually sharp X-ray images.
Perseus Cluster: A massive galaxy cluster whose galaxies are embedded in hot, X-ray-emitting gas. Chandra images show sound waves and cavities in its gas, linked to activity from the central galaxy.
Uhuru (satellite): The first satellite dedicated to X-ray astronomy, launched by NASA in 1970. Uhuru’s all-sky survey demonstrated the power of space-based X-ray observation before Chandra.
NuSTAR: A NASA space telescope that focuses hard X-rays using deployable optics. NuSTAR observes higher-energy X-rays than Chandra’s principal imaging instruments.
Intracluster medium: The hot, diffuse plasma that fills the space between galaxies in a galaxy cluster. Chandra’s observations measure this X-ray-bright gas and reveal how clusters gain and lose energy.

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