IXPE
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. A NASA space observatory launched in December 2021, designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays from sources such as black holes, neutron stars, and pulsars. IXPE provides insights into the magnetic fields and emission mechanisms of these high-energy objects.
Source: nasa.gov
APODs including "IXPE"
Launch of the IXPE Observatory
22/12/2021
Birds don't fly this high. Airplanes don't go this fast. The Statue of Liberty weighs less. No species other than human can even comprehend what is going on, nor could any human just a millennium ago. The launch of a rocket bound for space is an event that inspires awe and challenges description. Pictured here, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida earlier this month carrying the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). IXPE is scheduled to observe high-energy objects such as neutron stars, black holes, and the centers of distant galaxies to better determine the physics and geometries that create and control them. From a standing start, the 300,000+ kilogram rocket ship lifted IXPE up to circle the Earth, where the outside air is too thin to breathe. Rockets bound for space are now launched from somewhere on Earth every few days. Launch Update: James Webb Space Telescope