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Presented by Ellen Holmes Slide 2 Slide 3 Hubble Space Telescope Launched August 25th, 1997 Optical telescopes gather visible light, just like our eyes, but greatly magnified For hundreds of years we have built optical telescopes on Earth, but they work even better in space Slide 4 Slide 5 Advanced Composition Explorer Studies energetic particles coming from the Sun, interplanetary space, and the Galaxy Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) are the nuclei of atoms such as hydrogen, helium, etc. and are one of the few direct examples of matter from outside our solar system Detects cosmic rays traveling at speeds up to 85% that of light Measures the composition of GCRs Launched August 25th, 1997 Slide 6 Slide 7 Astro-E2 Expected Launch February 2005 Joint Japanese-US mission Devoted to observations of of celestial x-ray objects - both low and high energy objects and detects the differences in the energy of the photons X-ray radiation is invisible to the human eye and is generated under the most extreme conditions of gravity, temperature, and magnetic fields Black Holes, Neutron Stars, and Active Galaxies Slide 8 Slide 9 Chandra X-ray Observatory Launched July23, 1999 Observe extremely energetic, turbulent regions of space where matter has temperatures of millions of degrees Celsius and radiates its light energy as x-rays Remnants of exploded stars, young stars in active star forming regions, neutron stars, matter swirling towards black holes, supermassive galaxy-centric black holes Sharp enough to distinguish individual sources and give information about the sources physical processes Slide 10 Pulsar Slide 11 Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer Launched Fall 2002 All-sky spectroscopy of the diffuse background glowing in ultra-violet light Determine electron temperature, ionization conditions, and cooling mechanisms of the million degree plasma filling the interstellar bubble Local Bubble (LB) is a bubble of hot gas about 300 light years in radius, surrounded by colder denser gas in our Galaxy LB may have been created by a supernova explosion 10 million years ago Slide 12 Slide 13 Constellation-X Expected Launch 2002 Team of 4 orbiting telescopes - 100 times as sensitive to x- ray light than any previous telescope Peer clearly into matter falling into black holes Trace dark matter, invisible to optical telescopes but affects the surrounding matter with its gravity Hot as under the influence of dark matter emits x-rays Slide 14 Strong Gravity Life Cycles Dark Matter Black Holes Slide 15 Galaxy Evolution Explorer Launched April 28th, 2003 Ultraviolet imaging and spectroscopic surveying mission Map the global history and probe the causes of star formation from the present era back to when the Universe was 1/5th its present age When massive stars are created the shine brightly at ultraviolet energies, observing this can help determine the rate at which these stars form Cores of stars convert hydrogen and helium into heavier elements - we owe them our existence! Slide 16 Slide 17 Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope Expected Launch Fall 2004 Two detectors - LAT(Large Area Telescope) and GBM(Gamma-ray Burst Monitor) Image celestial gamma-ray sources Gamma radiation is generated under the most extreme conditions. Study these violent events in order to understand Nature at its ultimate limits Slide 18 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI As matter falls toward the hole, it forms a rotating, flattened disk called an accretion disk. Some black holes can form jets of matter and energy that stream outward. Sites of gamma-ray formation Slide 19 Gravity Probe - B Launched 2003 4 spinning gyroscopes in orbit around Earth, each spin axis should be changed slightly by the curvature of local space- time Relativity gyroscope that measures the local space-time curvature caused by the Earths mass and the local space- time frame-dragging caused by its rotation Examines Einsteins 1916 General Theory of Relativity Slide 20 Slide 21 High Energy Transient Explorer 2 Launched October 9th, 2000 Designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) GRBs are thought to originate billions of light years away and each releases as much energy as a billion billion Suns Occur about once a day Speculation that these are the explosion of massive stars or the merging of neutron stars and black holes Slide 22 Slide 23 International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory Launched October 2002 International collaboration headed by the ESA Studies celestial gamma-ray sources Primary objective is the study of the origin and evolution of chemical elements in our Galaxy and the Universe Performs studies of novae, supernovae and their radioactive debris, black holes, active galaxies, GRBs and the center of our own galaxy Slide 24 Slide 25 Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Expected launch 2008 Three spacecraft in the formation of a triangle, 5K apart Measure the distortion of space caused by passing gravitational waves that come from large dense masses in the Universe Detect binary star galaxies, black hole mergers, and observe gravitational waves from the early Universe Gravitational waves get weaker as they travel across space, but they arent changed as they pass through matter Slide 26 Slide 27 Microwave Anisotropy Probe Launched June 30th, 2001 Measures the cosmic background radiation over the full sky This map of the remnant heat from the Big Bang will provide answers about the origin and fate of our Universe Temperature map show relatively constant temperature across all the sky 400,000 years after the Big Bang Hot and cold spots in this map are of particular interest Slide 28 Slide 29 Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Launched December 30th, 1995 Probes the physics of cosmic X-ray sources by measuring their variability over time scales ranging from milliseconds to years Explores the limits of matter and space time at the very edge of black holes Investigates neutron stars emitting X-rays that pulse over 1,000 times per second Slide 30 Slide 31 Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite Launched December 2nd, 1998 First radio based satellite sensitive to electromagnetic radiation at submillimeter wavelengths. Gain understanding of star formation by determining the composition of interstellar clouds and the means by which they collapse Stars form when giant clouds of dust and gas collapse As it shrinks the interior heats up The heat escapes the cloud as infrared, submillimeter and radio waves Slide 32 Slide 33 Swift Launched September 2003 Detects and accurately positions gamma ray bursts Three coaligned detectors Every day random flashes of gamma-rays occur that last from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, and then are never seen again from the same spot Slide 34 Slide 35 X-ray Multi-Mirror-Newton Mission Launched December 10, 1999 Investigates the violent processes of the Universe Images and spectrographs of very hot celestial objects Has observed the farthest quasar ever detected, uncovered mysteries in the the vicinity of black holes, and revealed the details of supernovae remnant X-ray emission Slide 36 X-ray fluorescence emission from the atmosphere of Mars, mainly from oxygen. All of these emissions tell us something about the interaction of radiation with the planet's atmosphere and its environment. Slide 37 Slide 38