NuSTAR Bringing the High Energy Universe into Focus

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showing 25 of 95 records on page 3 of 4

Untangling the Remains of Cassiopeia A

Observation • February 19, 2014

This is the first map of radioactivity in a supernova remnant, the blown-out bits and pieces of a massive star that exploded. The blue color shows radioactive material mapped in high-energy X-rays using NuSTAR. Heated, non-radioactive elements previously imaged by Chandra using low-energy X-rays are shown in red, yellow and green.

Radioactive Core of a Dead Star

Observation • February 19, 2014

NuSTAR has, for the first time, imaged the radioactive "guts" of a supernova remnant, the leftover remains of a star that exploded. The NuSTAR data are blue, and show high-energy X-rays. Yellow shows non-radioactive material detected previously by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in low-energy X-rays.

High-Energy X-ray View of 'Hand of God'

Observation • January 9, 2014

Can you see the shape of a hand in this new X-ray image? The hand might look like an X-ray from the doctor's office, but it is actually a cloud of material ejected from a star that exploded.

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Different Flavors of Black Holes

Observation • January 9, 2014

A range of supermassive black holes lights up this new image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. All of the dots are active black holes tucked inside the hearts of galaxies, with colors representing different energies of X-ray light.

Topsy Turvy Black Holes

Observation • November 26, 2013

The magenta spots in this image show two black holes in the spiral galaxy called NGC 1313, or the Topsy Turvy galaxy. Both black holes belong to a class called ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs. The magenta X-ray data come from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescopic Array (NuSTAR).

Black Holes of the Circinus Galaxy

Observation • November 26, 2013

The magenta spots in this image show two black holes in the Circinus galaxy: the supermassive black hole at its heart, and a smaller one closer to the edge that belongs to a class called ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs. The magenta X-ray data come from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescopic Array (NuSTAR).

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Black Holes Shine for NuSTAR in X-Rays

Observation • September 5, 2013

The X-ray data (magenta) from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). NuSTAR's serendipitous discovery in this field lies to the left of a galaxy, called IC 751, at which the telescope originally intended to look. Both magenta blobs show X-rays from massive black holes buried at the hearts of galaxies.

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Black Holes Shine for NuSTAR

Observation • September 5, 2013

An optical color image of galaxies is seen here overlaid with X-ray data (magenta) from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). NuSTAR's serendipitous discovery in this field lies to the left of a galaxy, called IC 751, at which the telescope originally intended to look. Both magenta blobs show X-rays from massive black holes buried at the hearts of galaxies.

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Black Holes Shine for NuSTAR (annotated)

Observation • September 5, 2013

An optical color image of galaxies is seen here overlaid with X-ray data (magenta) from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). NuSTAR's serendipitous discovery in this field lies to the left of a galaxy, called IC 751, at which the telescope originally intended to look. Both magenta blobs show X-rays from massive black holes buried at the hearts of galaxies.

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Celebrating NuSTARs First Birthday

Photograph • June 13, 2013

On June 13, 2013 scientists and friends of NuSTAR celebrated the first anniversary of the successful launch and deployment of the instrument.

Celebrating NuSTARs first birthday

Photograph • June 13, 2013

To celebrate the one year anniversary of the successful launch of NuSTAR into orbit, scientists, friends and their families of the mission gathered at the California Institute of Technology for a birthday party.

Sculptor Galaxy Shines with X-rays

Observation • June 11, 2013

The Sculptor galaxy is seen in a new light, in this composite image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). The NuSTAR data, which appear as colored blobs, show high-energy X-rays. The NuSTAR observations are the sharpest ever taken of this galaxy in high-energy X-rays.

Sculptor Galaxy Shines with X-rays

Observation • June 11, 2013

The Sculptor galaxy is seen in a new light, in this composite image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Visible data from the European Space Observatory show the backbone of the galaxy made up of stars, while NuSTAR data, which appear as colored blobs, show high-energy X-rays. The NuSTAR observations are the sharpest ever taken of this galaxy in high-energy X-rays.

NuSTAR's Improved View

Artwork • February 27, 2013

This image taken by the ultraviolet-light monitoring camera on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton telescope shows the beautiful spiral arms of the galaxy NGC1365. The large regions observed by previous satellites contain so much of this background emission that the radiation from the central black hole is mixed and diluted into it. NuSTAR, NASA's newest X-ray observatory, is able to isolate the emission from the black hole, allowing a far more precise analysis of its properties.

How to Measure the Spin of a Black Hole

Artwork • February 27, 2013

This chart illustrates the basic model for determining the spin rates of black holes. The three artist's concepts represent the different types of spin: retrograde rotation, where the disk of matter falling onto the hole, called an accretion disk, moves in the opposite direction of the black hole; no spin; and prograde rotation, where the disk spins in the same direction as the black hole.

Two Models of Black Hole Spin

Artwork • February 27, 2013

Scientists measure the spin rates of supermassive black holes by spreading the X-ray light into different colors. The light comes from accretion disks that swirl around black holes, as shown in both of the artist's concepts.

Black Holes: Monsters in Space

Artwork • February 21, 2013

This artist's concept illustrates a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun. Supermassive black holes are enormously dense objects buried at the hearts of galaxies. In this illustration, the supermassive black hole at the center is surrounded by matter flowing onto the black hole in what is termed an accretion disk. This disk forms as the dust and gas in the galaxy falls onto the hole, attracted by its gravity.

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Sizzling Remains of a Dead Star

Observation • January 7, 2013

This new view of the historical supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, located 11,000 light-years away, was taken by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. Blue indicates the highest energy X-ray light, where NuSTAR has made the first resolved image ever of this source.

Sizzling X-ray Remains of a Dead Star

Observation • January 7, 2013

This new view of the historical supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, located 11,000 light-years away, was taken by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. Blue indicates the highest energy X-ray light, where NuSTAR has made the first resolved image ever of this source.

Blazing Black Holes Spotted in X-ray View of Galaxy IC 342

Observation • January 7, 2013

This new view of spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5, includes data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. The two magenta spots are blazing black holes first detected at lower-energy X-ray wavelengths by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. With NuSTAR's complementary data, astronomers can start to home in on the black holes' mysterious properties.

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Blazing Black Holes Spotted in Spiral Beauty

Observation • January 7, 2013

This new view of spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5, includes data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. The two magenta spots are blazing black holes first detected at lower-energy X-ray wavelengths by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. With NuSTAR's complementary data, astronomers can start to home in on the black holes' mysterious properties.

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First Look at Milky Way's Monster in High-Energy X-ray Light

Observation • October 23, 2012

This is the first, focused high-energy X-ray view of the area surrounding the supermassive black hole, called Sagittarius A*, at the center of our galaxy. The image was taken by NASA's black-hole hunter, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. Different X-ray energies have been assigned colors to make the composite images shown here.

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X-ray Flare at the Center of the Milky Way

Observation • October 23, 2012

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured these first, focused views of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy in high-energy X-ray light. This time series shows a flare caught by NuSTAR over an observing period of two days in July 2012.

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Pointing X-ray Eyes at our Resident Supermassive Black Hole

Collage • October 23, 2012

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured these first, focused views of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy in high-energy X-ray light. The background image, taken in infrared light, shows the location of our Milky Way's humongous black hole, called Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* for short.

NuSTAR's First View of High-Energy X-ray Universe

Collage • June 28, 2012

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has taken its first snapshots of the highest energy X-rays in the cosmos, the same kind used by doctors to take pictures of your bones. NuSTAR chose a black hole in the constellation Cygnus (shown on the left) as its first target due to its brightness.

showing 25 of 95 records on page 3 of 4

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The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array science operations center is located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology