A NASA space observatory in low Earth orbit dedicated to gamma-ray astronomy, studying energetic phenomena such as pulsars, active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. Named after physicist Enrico Fermi and developed with the U.S. Department of Energy, it announced the discovery of two gamma-ray and X-ray emitting bubbles around the Milky Way in 2010.
Facts
Observatory TypeSpace telescope (gamma-ray) 1 MeasuresMeasures gamma rays, observing high-energy phenomena such as active galactic nuclei, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts from low Earth orbit. 1 Operating PrincipleIts main instrument, the Large Area Telescope, detects gamma rays through pair production: incoming photons convert to electron-positron pairs in thin metal sheets, and the resulting particle tracks are used to reconstruct each ray's energy and direction. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, lead paragraph sectionQuote, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, lead paragraph section
formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST)
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, infoboxQuote, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, infobox
from low Earth orbit
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Overview sectionQuote, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Overview section
perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Instruments sectionQuote, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Instruments section
Photons hit thin metal sheets, converting to electron-positron pairs, via a process termed pair production
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