The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a flagship mission of NASA's astrophysics division, dedicated to studying the universe in the X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999, Chandra is one of the Great Observatories, along with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.
Named after the Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Chandra boasts a unique combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution, allowing it to detect and image X-ray emissions from a wide variety of celestial objects, including black holes, neutron stars, supernova remnants, galaxies, and galaxy clusters.
The observatory's primary instrument is the High-Resolution Camera (HRC), which provides unparalleled spatial resolution in the X-ray regime, enabling detailed studies of cosmic phenomena with unprecedented clarity. In addition to the HRC, Chandra is equipped with other instruments, including the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) and the High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETG), which allow astronomers to analyze the energy spectra of X-ray sources and investigate their physical properties.
Chandra has made numerous groundbreaking discoveries since its launch, including the first direct image of the shock wave generated by a supernova explosion, the detection of X-ray emissions from hot gas surrounding supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, and the identification of mysterious X-ray sources known as ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), which may represent intermediate-mass black holes or exotic astrophysical phenomena.
As of 2021, Chandra continues to operate well beyond its original mission lifespan, providing astronomers with invaluable data and insights into the high-energy universe.
