A NASA space telescope launched in 1999 that observes the universe in X-rays, radiation absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and therefore invisible to ground-based instruments. Named for astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, it studies hot, energetic regions such as supernova remnants, galaxy clusters and the surroundings of black holes.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (X-ray) 1 LocationHigh elliptical Earth orbit 1 MeasuresX-rays from hot, energetic regions of the universe, radiation Earth's atmosphere absorbs and ground telescopes cannot see 2 Operating PrincipleGrazing-incidence X-ray optics, mirrors angled shallowly to reflect X-ray photons that would pass through or be absorbed by a normal mirror surface 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationChandra X-ray Observatory, introductory sectionQuote, Chandra X-ray Observatory, introductory section
Chandra is sensitive to X-ray sources 100 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationChandra X-ray Observatory, Technical description sectionQuote, Chandra X-ray Observatory, Technical description section
X-ray photons would be absorbed by normal mirror surfaces, so mirrors with a low grazing angle are necessary to reflect them.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.