NASA has released photos for the first time taken by the new X-ray Polarimetric Imaging Explorer IXPE, launched in early December last year. The goal is to shed light on the most extreme events in the world of space, such as supernova explosions and space collisions.
The study builds on the work of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which uses polarization to explain the appearance of X-ray light produced by cosmic events. The first image shows X-ray emissions of varying intensity, which were obtained in mid-January 2022. On their basis, the first map of the polarization of the x-rays of Cassiopeia A. will be created.
In the second image, supernova Cassiopeia A shines in purples and blues. This photograph combines images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue areas) and data collected from IXPE (magenta area). Image analysis suggests that a massive object, a black hole or a neutron star, may be at the center of the supernova.
The study of Cassiopeia A will be the first step in the work of the IXPE mission. During the first year of its existence, it will have to analyze another 40 objects and answer questions of interest to scientists. In addition to a detailed study of supernovae, IXPE will allow a better understanding of the features of black holes, the processes of their rotation and nutrition. The data obtained from this mission cannot be recreated in a lab. The analyzed information can become the key to answering the most important space questions.
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