NASA's IXPE Observatory sent images of Cassiopeia A to Earth
Photo: NASA / CXC / GSFC / U.Hwang / Reuters
NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polamitry Exlorer Astrophysical Observatory (IXPE) has returned to Earth the first images of space since the completion of the commissioning process. This was announced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
It is specified that the first photographs of the remnants of the supernova Cassiopeia A, which exploded in the 17th century, were transmitted. NASA explained that the blast wave cleared and heated the gas clouds surrounding the star to high temperatures, accelerating the movement of cosmic ray particles. The formed cloud glows when exposed to X-rays. The saturation of the purple color in the new image corresponds to the intensity of the X-ray emission recorded by the instruments of the observatory.
Aerospace Agency experts noted that all IXPE equipment is operating normally.
The IXPE X-ray observatory was launched by SpaceX on December 9, 2021. The 325-kilogram laboratory is equipped with three telescopes. The purpose of the mission is to track the sources of X-rays, as well as to study the most mysterious and distant objects in the universe.
