The first scientific images came from NASA's X-ray Imaging Polarization Probe (IXPE) after commissioning. NASA recently said that all the instruments of the space observatory are working well and are exploring and studying some mysterious and extreme objects in the universe.
The first to be transmitted were photographs of Cassiopeia A, the remnants of a star that exploded in the 17th century. The shock wave generated by the explosion swept through the surrounding gases, heating them to high temperatures and accelerating the cosmic ray particles, forming a cloud that emitted X-rays.
This "Cassiopeia A" image combines the first X-ray data collected by IXPE (purple red) with high-energy X-ray data collected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue)
In the figure, the fuchsia corresponds to the X-ray intensity observed by IXPE, which is covered with high-energy X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (shown in blue). Launched in 1999, the Chandra Observatory, known as the "Hubble of the X-ray Field," was the most powerful X-ray telescope of its time, and it also took its first picture of Cassiopeia A, the youngest supernova remnant in the Milky Way.
"The IXPE image of 'Cassiopeia A' is as historical as Chandra's." Martin C. Weisskopf, principal investigator at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center IXPE, said this shows that IXPE has the potential to gain new information about Cassiopei A.
The wavelength of the X-ray is very short, and although it is invisible to the naked eye, it is useful in astronomy. There are some celestial bodies in the universe (such as black holes, neutron stars, etc.) that emit almost no visible light, but can emit "bright" X-rays and reveal important information about the magnetic field of celestial bodies and the geometry of celestial bodies. Because Earth's atmosphere blocks cosmic rays from reaching the ground, X-rays can only be collected through telescopes in space.
Polarization is one of the basic properties of photons, and a polarization filter acts like a fence in a specific direction, allowing only photons in the corresponding polarized direction to pass through. Polarized light carries unique details of the origin and propagation of light. By analyzing X-ray polarization with IXPE, scientists can gain a deeper understanding of the structure and behavior of celestial bodies, their surroundings, and the physical processes of X-ray formation.
There are three identical telescopes on the IXPE launched for NASA by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last December that can collect X-rays and send them into a detector that images the incident X-rays and measures the number and direction of polarization. It will be used to study the most energetic objects in the universe, including remnants of star explosions, jets of black hole particles, and more.
The graph was created using X-ray data collected by IXPE between January 11 and 18, showing the X-ray intensity of Cassiopeia A. The color from cold purple, blue to red, and white corresponds to an increase in X-ray brightness.
Paolo Soffitta, principal investigator at Italy's IXPE, the National Astrophysical Institute in Rome, said he looked forward to analyzing polarization measurements to learn more about the remnants of the supernova.
NASA said that with the polarization data of CassiopeiA, IXPE will give scientists the first time to see how the amount of polarization of supernova remnants changes, and researchers are currently using this data to map the first X-ray polarization of the celestial body, which will provide new clues to how "Cassiopeia A" X-rays are produced.