Gamma Ray Antimatter

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Gamma Ray Antimatter
Instrument CGRO OSSE Credit W. Purcell (NWU)
et al.
This mysterious cloud of gamma rays glows in the
center of the Milky Way, produced by annihilating
antimatter particles. It is probably about 4,000
light-years across and extends nearly 3,500
light-years above the galactic center.
Associated with no previously known object, the
cloud seems to imply that a fountain of
antimatter positrons streams from the galactic
center, perhaps from neutron star collisions or
black holes.
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The Search for Dark Matter
Superposed on an optical image of a group of
galaxies is an image taken in X-ray light,
showing confined hot gas in false purple color.
Is the gravity of the galaxies high enough to
contain the glowing hot gas? The extra gravity
needed is attributed to dark matter, the nature
and abundance of which is the biggest mystery in
astronomy today. Instrument ROSAT data Credit
R. Mushotzky, NASA/GSFC ESA
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The North Ecliptic Pole
The North Ecliptic Pole (shown here at 0.5-1.6
keV) and the South Ecliptic Pole are the two
locations visible to ROSAT at any time, being
perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Because of the survey geometry, the ecliptic
poles were covered every orbit, leading to the
bright region at the center of the field. The
ROSAT PSPC ribs and central ring are partially
visible as the dark nearly linear areas pointing
to the upper left of the image.
10 arcmin
Instrument ROSAT PSPC Credit MPE
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The North Ecliptic Pole
The North Ecliptic Pole (shown here at 0.5-1.6
keV) and the South Ecliptic Pole are the two
locations visible to ROSAT at any time, being
perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Because of the survey geometry, the ecliptic
poles were covered every orbit, leading to the
bright region at the center of the field. KAZ
102, an optically bright, radio quiet quasar is
visible towards the top of the image.
30 arcmin
Instrument ROSAT PSPC Credit MPE
5
The South Ecliptic Pole
The South Ecliptic Pole (shown here in X-ray) and
the North Ecliptic Pole are the two locations
that are visible to ROSAT at any time, being
perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit.
Because of the survey geometry, the ecliptic
poles were covered every orbit, leading to the
bright region at the center of the field. The
Large Magellanic Cloud is the bright extended
region to the lower right of the ecliptic pole.
2 degrees
Instrument ROSAT PSPC Credit MPE
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Ophiuchus Dark Clouds
This mosaic of the Ophiuchus Dark Clouds in the
3/4 keV band is remarkable in the detailed
structure of the diffuse X-ray background and
tight negative correlation between the cloud
material and the surface brightness of the
X-rays. The origin of the strong back-lighting
of these clouds might be either emission from
Loop I (a nearby supernova remnant or stellar
wind bubble) or the Galactic bulge.
2 degrees
Distance 450 light-years Instrument ROSAT
PSPC Credit S.L. Snowden, NASA/GSFC
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Gamma Ray Burst
Gamma ray bursts occur with no warning, last only
a few seconds, and produce more energy in that
short period than the entire Universe combined.
On January 23, 1999, ROTSE captured the
first-ever optical images a burst at the very
moment it was going off. Other telescopes
captured its afterglow, as shown here.
Instrument HST Credit STScI
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Gamma Ray Burst, Caught in Optical
On January 23, 1999, ROTSE captured first-ever
optical images a gamma-ray burst at the very
moment the burst was going off -- the Holy
Grail for the hunters of these mysterious
explosions, which occur with no warning, last
only a few seconds, and produce more energy in
that short period than the entire Universe
combined. Instrument ROTSE Credit ROTSE team
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The North Polar Spur
The North Polar Spur -- perhaps the most
spectacular coherent structure in the soft X-ray
sky -- was completely mapped for the first time
at high resolution in the ROSAT/PSPC survey. The
North Polar Spur is part of a hot interstellar
bubble created by winds of young, hot stars and
several supernova explosions.
Instrument ROSAT PSPC Credit R. Egger, MPE
10 degrees
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The Compton Observatory
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory satellite with
solar panels unfurled is pictured here high above
western Africa just prior to its release into
orbit. The large round domes of the EGRET
(bottom) and COMPTEL (center) experiments are
visible in this view along with four of the eight
BATSE detectors located at the corners of the
satellite. The OSSE experiment housing is
visible just above the COMPTEL dome. Credit
NASA
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Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer
The Diffuse X-Ray Spectrometer (DXS) experiment
was flown as an attached payload in the January
1993 flight of Space Shuttle Endeavor. Developed
by the University of Wisconsin, the DXS was
designed primarily to detect the diffuse X-ray
background with roughly 10 eV energy resolution
and 15 degree angular resolution. Credit NASA
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The Solar Max Mission
The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), launched in
February 1980 to study the Sun during the high
part of the solar cycle, carried two high energy
experiments the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer
and the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer. A malfunction in
the satellite in 1981 halted the original
mission. The space shuttle Challenger serviced
the SMM in orbit in 1984, which enabled the
satellite to function through 1989. Credit
NASA
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Spartan-1
Spartan-1 was designed to be deployed from the
space shuttle Discovery and then recovered after
2 days in orbit. Aboard the Spartan platform
were X-ray detectors sensitive to the energy
range 1-12 keV. Launched in June 1985, Spartan-1
observed the Perseus cluster of galaxies and our
galactic center region. Credit NASA