Highlights and discoveries from the Chandra X-ray Observatory

H Tananbaum1, M C Weisskopf, W Tucker

  • 1Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Summary

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revolutionized astronomy with its advanced imaging and spectral capabilities. Its observations have significantly advanced our understanding of cosmic phenomena, from stars to galaxy evolution.

Related Concept Videos

X-ray Imaging01:24

X-ray Imaging

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923) was experimenting with electrical current when he discovered that a mysterious and invisible "ray" would pass through his flesh but leave an outline of his bones on a screen coated with a metal compound. In 1895, Röntgen made the first durable record of the internal parts of a living human: an "X-ray" image (as it came to be called) of his wife’s hand. Scientists worldwide quickly began their own experiments with...
7.7K
X-ray Crystallography02:18

X-ray Crystallography

The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
21.5K
Detection of Black Holes01:10

Detection of Black Holes

Although black holes were theoretically postulated in the 1920s, they remained outside the domain of observational astronomy until the 1970s.
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
1.7K
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview01:20

Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview

Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...
3.0K
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples01:10

X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples

X-ray diffraction or XRD is an analytical tool that utilizes X-rays to study ordered structures such as crystalline organic and inorganic samples, polycrystalline materials, proteins, carbohydrates, and drugs.
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are  scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The  X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal...
3.8K