Highlights from NASA's Chandra X-ray ObservatoryNational Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Free, Tickets Required
4:30 p.m. Discovery Station (in front of Welcome Center) 5:45p.m. Planetarium presentation 6:45 p.m. Telescope observing at Public Observatory, weather permitting
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has provided an unprecedented view of the universe at x-ray wavelengths since its launch in July of 1999. Chandra's spectacular images and detailed spectra of astrophysical systems ranging from solar system objects to distant galaxies and clusters shed (x-ray) light on diverse topics such as stellar formation and demise; black hole-galaxy-cluster interactions; and properties of dark matter and dark energy. Harvey Tananbaum will provide a brief overview and status report on the Observatory and scientific highlights with emphasis on recent Chandra results.
The Smithsonian’s Stars Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from NASA.
Launched in 1999, Chandra is the most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. With it scientists can explore the exotic realm of super-hot, high-energy x-ray sources, including exploding stars and black holes. A 1/5-scale model of the orbiting observatory hangs in the gallery.
How to attend
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