The Einstein probe is now ready to observe the sky in X-rays using “lobster eyes.”

MADRID, April 27. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Einstein probe, in which Spain participates through the Supreme Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), dependent on the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, is now ready to monitor the sky in X-rays and contribute to the study of space. After Get your first images of celestial objects on an international mission with optics inspired by lobster eyes.

The probe, launched on January 9 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) along with other collaborators, has the potential to expand understanding of extreme space events and will provide “valuable information,” the Ministry of Science said in a statement. “data to address key questions about the structure and evolution of the Universe.

The three-year mission is led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany, France’s National Center for Space Research and the European Space Agency (ESA), which will have access to 10% of the resulting data, allowing the European scientific community to play an “important” role in the analysis of their discoveries.

OBSERVING THE UNIVERSE “THE EYES OF A LOSBAR”

Thanks to its optical technology inspired by lobster eyes, the probe can observe large swaths of the sky in three orbits around Earth, allowing it to detect and monitor X-ray emissions from various astronomical objects.

For several months after launch, the mission’s operations team carried out the necessary tests to confirm the functionality of the probe and calibrate the scientific instruments. At this crucial stage, the Einstein probe collected scientific data from several X-ray sources.

These first images demonstrate the capabilities of the Einstein Probe’s two science instruments: the Wide Field X-ray Telescope (WXT) can observe a panorama of almost one-eleventh of the celestial sphere in a single image, and the more sensitive FXT offers close-up views and can find images of ephemeral events captured by the WXT telescope.

“Not only will the Einstein probe be an ideal “hunter” for new transient X-ray sources, but given its unprecedentedly large field of view, it will also enable systematic characterization of the X-ray properties of sources located in regions of the sky that have never been observed before. The potential for exciting new discoveries is enormous,” said researcher Francesco Coti Zelati.

For his part, researcher Alessio Marino detailed that “with unprecedented ‘vision,’ the Einstein probe’s WXT will detect all types of cosmic explosions in the sky while simultaneously monitoring known astronomical sources for any unexpected signs of activity.” “This is a turning point for modern astronomy,” he noted.

The Einstein probe is expected to continue calibrating in orbit before it begins routine science observations in mid-June.

During the three-year mission, the satellite will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 600 km and closely monitor the sky for short-lived X-ray phenomena. Using the FXT observation telescope, the mission will look deeper. recently discovered events and other known objects of interest, as highlighted by the Ministry of Science.