The Sky in X-Rays

Today's TBTF has interesting data and links on the state of X-ray astronomy; ABCNews has an overview. For five months, the orbiting Chandra observatory has been producing great data and potential desktop art. Now, by focusing on a small area of sky, Chanda has resolved what was formerly just known as "X-rayglow" into distinct sources (photo), many of which even Hubble can't find in visible light. The American Astronomical Society will talk about this and other Chandra findings in a live webcast today at 2P.M. EST. For a two-year overview of our universe's secret life in invisible radiation, check out All-Sky Monitor Movies. And oh yeah, in visible-light news, microlensing provides strong evidence for stellar-size black holes being numerous.

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Q's homeworld?

[Cy Guy]

e0102electricbluet.jpg

Object Name: E0102-72
Object Category: Supernova Remnant
Coordinates: (J2000) Right Ascension 01h04m02s Declination -72d01m56s
Constellation: Tucana (Tuc)

Object Description: E0102-72 is a supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This galaxy is 190,000 light years from Earth. E0102 -72, which is approximately a thousand years old, is believed to have resulted from the explosion of a massive star. Stretching across forty light years of space, the multi-million degree source resembles a flaming cosmic wheel. Astronomer's Notebook: ACIS detector

PHOTO CREDIT: Chandra X-ray Image