X-ray astronomy is opening a new window on the universe – Axios

X-ray astronomy is helping to reveal newdetails about the nature of the universe.

Why it matters: For thousands of years, humanity's understanding of the universe has been dominated by what can be seen. Now, by measuring the invisible X-rays, infrared signals and gravitational waves emitted across the universe, scientists are getting a clearer understanding of the events that shape the cosmos.

What's happening: Several X-ray missions large and small are active today, including NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton. Both launched in 1999.

Background: When stars are born, they emit X-rays that can move through dust and gas carrying information about the young stars and their development.

How it works: Unlike optical telescopes that focus incoming photons that bounce nearly head-on off mirrors, X-ray telescopes focus the high-energy X-ray photons to a detector at an angle similar to "skipping stones off the surface of a pond," says Tremblay.

The big picture: X-ray astronomy has existed for more than two decades but the science is now "coming of age," Wilkes writes in a review this week in Nature.

Yes, but: Large X-ray observatories take years, if not decades, to develop and build, and right now, the future of X-ray astronomy at NASA and ESA is uncertain.

What to watch: The first results from the IXPE mission will be presented next week at the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting.

Read the original here:

X-ray astronomy is opening a new window on the universe - Axios