Studies using X-ray and ultraviolet observations from NASA's Swift satellite provide new insights into the elusive origins of an important class of exploding star called Type Ia supernovae.
In October 2010, a neutron star near the center of our galaxy erupted with hundreds of X-ray bursts that were powered by a barrage of thermonuclear explosions on the star's surface.
Francesco Tombesi has identified a new type of black-hole-driven outflow that appears to explain the correlation between the mass of a galaxy's central black hole and the velocity of stars in a a galaxy's vast, roughly spherical structure known as its bulge.
Using observations from the RXTE satellite and the VLBA radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has identified the moment when a black hole in our galaxy launched super-fast knots of gas into space.
Over 16 years of operation, he Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) far exceeded its original science goals and has left astronomers with a scientific bounty that will serve them for years to come.
Congratulations to Sarah Eyermann and members of the JWST NIRSpec Detector team for winning Robert H Goddard Awards in 2011!
Sarah Eyermann
Award: Exceptional Achievement Award in Outreach
Citation: For outstanding leadership and coordination of the Afterschool Universe program during its development, culminating in a successful train-the-trainer workshop and nationwide dissemination network.
JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) Instrument Detector System Team
Award: Exceptional Achievement Award in Engineering (Team)
Citation: For outstanding accomplishment in the development and delivery of the JWST NIRSpec flight detector system.
Team members from ASD: Bernie Rauscher, Bob Hill (Jr), Meng Chiao, Greg Delo, Don Lindler, Ori Fox
ESB Outfitting Project Team
Award: Customer Service Award
ASD members of the team: Curtis Odell and Larry Olsen
The X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory conducts investigations of a broad range of astronomical systems through detection and analysis of their X-ray emission and other radiation they emit. Objects studied range from nearby solar system objects to cosmological structures. Researchers at the Laboratory investigate the physics of extreme environments?such as those near the event horizons of black holes?and the evolution of stars, galaxies, and large-scale structures.
The Laboratory is the preeminent developer of state-of-the-art X-ray astronomical detectors and optical systems for performing precise spectroscopy, polarimetry, timing, and imaging. These instruments have been employed in numerous suborbital applications (sounding rockets and balloons) and orbiting observatories.
