A NASA space telescope launched in 1999 that observes the universe in X-rays, radiation absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and therefore invisible to ground-based instruments. Named for astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, it studies hot, energetic regions such as supernova remnants, galaxy clusters and the surroundings of black holes.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (X-ray) 1 LocationHigh elliptical Earth orbit 1 MeasuresX-rays from hot, energetic regions of the universe, radiation Earth's atmosphere absorbs and ground telescopes cannot see 2 Operating PrincipleGrazing-incidence X-ray optics, mirrors angled shallowly to reflect X-ray photons that would pass through or be absorbed by a normal mirror surface 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
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