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The top 10 X-ray visions from space


Starlyte

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Sept. 2 — “We’ve had a major hiccup,” said Harvey Tananbaum, director of the Chandra Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, just as NASA’s new X-ray telescope was to make its first science image on Aug. 17, 1999. The next 30 hours were tense as engineers worked to pull the orbiting craft out of a “safe mode,” which it had automatically entered after receiving two incompatible commands from ground control. The problem fixed, history would soon be made.

CHANDRA X-RAY Observatory officials released the first image on Aug. 26, 1999. It was said to be the best X-ray image ever made of a cosmic object.

Four years later, the orbiting telescope has produced an array of discoveries and important contributions to the understanding of the high-energy universe, including the staggering output of most distant and ancient galaxies, as well as the more modest riot of castoff energy surrounding nearby black holes and other exotic stars.

X-rays do not penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, so it has only been since 1962 that astronomers have had a glimpse of this form of radiation coming from beyond our solar system.

While not the only space-based X-ray observatory, Chandra is the finest machine of its class.

Late last month, NASA awarded a five-year mission and contract extension to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, or SAO, for the telescope’s operation and science outreach having to do with Chandra.

The following images were selected by the SAO based on multiple criteria, including which generated the most traffic at their Web site and which got the most attention in the media. The text is mostly theirs, though it’s been edited slightly by Space.com. Click the images to enlarge them.

Full Article LINK with pictures

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Those top 10 are truly amazing, but I have to say I think the one

of Centaurus A was number 1 to me.

Thanks, starlyte, for posting another great article. original.gif

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you should also take a look at the compiled video's from the SOHO at SOHO Real Time Movies

Great site Thanatos! Thanks for sharing it! There are some beautiful images on that site. thumbsup.gif

Thanks, starlyte, for posting another great article

Your welcome! original.gif

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great link starlyte,those top tens were truly fantastic,not to mention the pics too.

thanatos great stuff too..

big thanks to both of you thumbsup.gif

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