1st results of XRISM X-ray space telescope reveal black hole and supernova secrets
Less than a year after Japan's X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission launched to space, the space telescope's first results are in — and they are stunning.
The X-ray telescope, also known as XRISM, is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) with participation from the European Space Agency (ESA). Its first observations captured the structure, motion and temperature of material swirling around a supermassive black hole as well as the dynamics of supernova wreckage that marks the death of a massive star.
"These new observations provide crucial information in understanding how black holes grow by capturing surrounding matter, and offer a new insight into the life and death of massive stars," ESA XRISM Project Scientist Matteo Guainazzi said in a statement. "They showcase the mission's exceptional capability in exploring the high-energy universe."
The region around the observed supermassive black hole, located in the galaxy NGC 4151 and about 62 million light-years away from Earth, has something in common with the remains of the observed supernova, called supernova N132D and located about 160,000 light-years away.
