NuSTAR was launched on June 13, 2012, and during its thirteen years in space has studied high-energy X-rays emitted by a wide variety of astrophysical sources, some of which are featured in this vibrant new set of artwork.

NuSTAR Mission

The NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) mission is a NASA Small Explorer mission launched in 2012, and the first focussing telescope in orbit to be able to take images in the high-energy X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum (>10 keV). This capability allows us to study some of the hottest, densest, and most energetic objects in the universe, such as supermassive black holes consuming gas and dust, and the remnants of exploded stars.

Active Galaxies

When a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy consumes matter, it shines brightly in the X-rays. Even when the black hole is obscured by gas and dust in its host galaxy, NuSTAR can measure the high-energy X-rays that can pass through the obscuring material.

Supernova Remnants

When a star much more massive than the Sun explodes as a supernova, the shockwave and radioactive material expand into its surroundings for thousands of years. NuSTAR detects the elements from the very center of the explosion, showing clumpy and uneven sloshing within the star as it exploded.

X-ray Binaries

When the crushed remains of a star like a black hole or neutron star orbits close enough to a normal star, it pulls a stream of gas from its neighbor onto itself. The extreme conditions of this accretion disk and its surroundings emit high-energy X-rays that enable us to explore physics in a high-gravity environment.

Spiral Galaxies

Star-forming spiral galaxies can contain large numbers of bright X-ray binaries, in which a black hole or neutron star accretes material from a stellar neighbor, and some of which can shine bright enough in X-rays to rival a supermassive black hole. These collections of sources help us to learn about how stellar populations evolve over time.

The Sun

NuSTAR has been able to safely look directly at the Sun, allowing us to measure the energy of small nanoflares in active regions of the Sun’s surface. These studies help us to understand a major solar mystery: why our star’s outermost atmosphere, called the corona, is thousands of times hotter than the Sun’s surface.

 

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