The Einstein probe is ready to observe the sky in X-rays with its “lobster eyes”

Probe Einstein Probein 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 obtaining its first image of celestial objects as part of an international mission with optics , inspired lobster eyes

As stated in a statement from the Ministry of Science, the research, which was launched on January 9 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) together with other collaborators, has the potential to expand understanding extreme space events and will provide “valuable” data to address key questions about the structure and evolution of the Universe.

This three-year mission is led by Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Max Planck Institute extraterrestrial physics Germany, National Center for Space Research France And European Space Agency (ESA), which will have access to 10% of the data generated, allowing the European scientific community to play an “important” role in the analysis of its discoveries.

lobster eyes

Thanks to optical technology inspired by lobster eyes, the probe can monitor large areas sky in three orbits around the Earth, which makes it possible to detect and control X-ray emissions from various astronomical objects.

For several months after takeoff, the mission’s operations team conducted the necessary tests to confirm functionality probe and calibration 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 two tools Einstein Probe Scientists:

• He Wide-field X-ray telescope (WXT) can observe a panorama of almost one-eleventh of the celestial sphere in a single image.
• He FXTmore sensitive, offers close-ups, and can find images of ephemeral events captured by the WXT telescope.

“The Einstein probe will not only be perfect huntress new transient X-ray sources, but, given the unprecedentedly large field of view, will also allow Systematic characterization of X-ray properties from sources located in never before observed areas of the sky. The potential for exciting new discoveries is enormous,” the researcher said. Francesco Coti Zelati.

For his part, the researcher Alessio Marino “With unprecedented coverage, the Einstein Probe’s WXT will capture 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 operations. planned scientific observations in mid-June.

During the mission, three years During this time, the satellite will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 600 km and monitor the sky for short-lived X-ray phenomena.

As the Ministry of Science emphasized, with the help of the FXT observation telescope, the mission will study in more depth recently discovered events and other known interesting objects.