Skip to main content

NASA/JAXA XRISM Mission Unveils Initial Glimpse into X-ray Cosmos.

The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has offered a sneak peek at the groundbreaking data it will collect when commencing science operations later this year. Providing a snapshot of a galaxy cluster and a spectrum of stellar remnants in a neighboring galaxy, XRISM's data promises a detailed examination of the chemical makeup of these celestial bodies.


With the potential to unveil the hidden X-ray sky, XRISM, led by Japan and supported by NASA, is set to contribute valuable insights into the compositions, motions, and physical states of cosmic sources through X-ray imaging and spectroscopy.




The XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory, a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), NASA, and ESA (European Space Agency), recently captured unprecedented data from the supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud. XRISM's Resolve instrument produced the most detailed X-ray spectrum of the object to date, unveiling peaks associated with elements such as silicon, sulfur, argon, calcium, and iron.


Launched on September 6, 2023, XRISM is designed to explore the hottest regions, largest structures, and objects with the strongest gravity in the universe by detecting X-rays with energies up to 12,000 electron volts. The Resolve instrument, operating at a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, provides valuable information about X-ray sources by measuring the energy of individual X-rays, contributing to a deeper understanding of cosmic phenomena.




The XRISM observatory, equipped with its Resolve instrument, has provided an unprecedented look at the supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Located approximately 160,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado, N132D is one of the brightest X-ray sources in the dwarf galaxy. The Resolve spectrum obtained by XRISM reveals detailed peaks associated with elements such as silicon, sulfur, calcium, argon, and iron.


This data, representing the most detailed X-ray spectrum of the object to date, offers insights into the composition, temperature, density, and motion of the elements forged in the original star, shedding light on the star's characteristics and the supernova explosion that created the remnant.


XRISM's Xtend instrument, an X-ray imager developed by JAXA, enhances the mission's capabilities with its large field of view, allowing observations of areas approximately 60% larger than the average apparent size of the full moon. Regular operations for XRISM are set to commence later in 2024, enabling further groundbreaking studies of the X-ray sky.




The XRISM observatory's Xtend instrument captured a remarkable X-ray image of galaxy cluster Abell 2319, located approximately 770 million light-years away in the northern constellation Cygnus. As the fifth brightest X-ray cluster in the sky, Abell 2319 is currently experiencing a significant merger event, and the Xtend's wide field of view allows a comprehensive view of the cluster, which spans 3 million light-years across.


Despite a complication with the aperture door covering Resolve's detector, XRISM is exceeding expectations, achieving a spectral resolution of 5 electron volts compared to the planned 7. Resolve continues to contribute valuable scientific data, and the XRISM team is actively exploring solutions for the aperture door anomaly.


Proposals for observations using NASA's XRISM General Observer Facility are currently being accepted, with the first cycle of XRISM General Observer investigations scheduled to commence in the summer of 2024. XRISM, a collaborative mission involving JAXA and NASA, with ESA participation, represents a groundbreaking effort to explore the hidden X-ray sky and unveil the secrets of the universe's hottest regions and objects with the strongest gravity.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

JWST Just Dropped a Space Banger – Meet HH 30, the Cosmic Baby Star with an Attitude!

  ๐Ÿš€Hubble Found It, Webb Flexed on It! NASA, ESA, and CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just hit us with another mind-blowing “Picture of the Month,” and this time, it’s all about HH 30 —a baby star with a dramatic flair! Sitting pretty in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, this young star is rocking a protoplanetary disc that’s literally glowing with potential future planets. And oh, it’s got some serious jets and a disc wind to show off!   ๐Ÿ’ซ What’s So Special About HH 30? Ever heard of Herbig-Haro objects? No? Cool, neither did most of us until now! These are glowing gas clouds marking the tantrums of young stars as they spit out jets of gas at supersonic speeds. HH 30 is one of them, but with a twist—it’s a prototype edge-on disc, meaning we get a front-row seat to the magic of planet formation!   ๐Ÿ“ก Webb, Hubble & ALMA—The Ultimate Space Detective Team.   To break down HH 30’s secrets, astronomers went full detective mode using:   ✔️...

Solar Storm Shocker: Earth Gets a Cosmic Makeover with Two New Radiation Belts!

  The May 2024 solar storm formed two new radiation belts between the Van Allen Belts, with one containing protons, creating a unique composition never observed before. Picture this: May 2024, the Sun throws a massive tantrum, sending a solar storm hurtling toward Earth. The result? Stunning auroras light up the skies, GPS systems go haywire, and—wait for it—Earth gets two brand-new *temporary* radiation belts! That’s right, our planet just got a cosmic upgrade, thanks to the largest solar storm in two decades. And no, this isn’t a sci-fi movie plot—it’s real science, folks!   Thanks to NASA’s Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) satellite, scientists discovered these new belts, which are like Earth’s Van Allen Belts’ quirky cousins. Published on February 6, 2025, in the *Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics*, this discovery is a game-changer for space research, especially for protecting satellites and astronauts from solar storm shenanigans. ...

NASA/ESA Hubble Telescope Captures Image of Supernova to Aid Distance Measurements.

  The Hubble Space Telescope has recently captured a striking image of a supernova-hosting galaxy, located approximately 600 million light-years away in the constellation Gemini. This image, taken about two months after the discovery of supernova SN 2022aajn, reveals a bright blue dot at the center, signifying the explosive event. Although SN 2022aajn was first announced in November 2022, it has not yet been the subject of extensive research. However, Hubble's interest in this particular supernova lies in its classification as a Type Ia supernova, a type that is key to measuring cosmic distances. Type Ia supernovae occur when a star's core collapses, and they are particularly useful for astronomers because they have a predictable intrinsic brightness. No matter how far away a Type Ia supernova is, it emits the same amount of light. By comparing its observed brightness to this known luminosity, astronomers can calculate how far away the supernova — and its host galaxy — are from...