AstroSat multi-wavelength Observatory, designed in India, made first in his life a session of observation of a black hole. Space object that received the numbering PKS 2155-304, located in the constellation of the southern Fish in one and a half billion light years from Earth.
Spits out matter this black hole, heated to ultra high temperature and accelerated to relativistic speeds - is oriented towards the planet, as is her study very relevant and exciting.
"We cautiously expect this episode to the day put a satellite into orbit. Very encouraging to see that all mirrors are in perfect harmony and create the x-ray microscopic image on the matrix located at 2 metres from them. The chamber temperature is maintained at minus 82 degrees Celsius, and we managed to reach the design sensitivity and the desired resolution", says Culinder Singh from Institute of fundamental research Tata in Mumbai.
As informs Department of public relations, Indian space research organization (ISRO), the Observatory could transmit to Earth pictures of a black hole PKS 2155-304 made by telescope SXT soft x-ray spectrum. This device is a complex system of mirrors 320 gold collected in 40 "shells", are conventionally rotated each other in a special way.
The supermassive black hole in PKS 2155-304 in the constellation of the southern Fish, remote from us at 1.5 billion light years, is of particular interest to research workers. Her jet - spits out matter, heated to ultra high temperature and accelerated to relativistic speeds - is directed towards the Earth. Due to this, PKS 2155-304 is one of the brightest x-ray and radio sources in the night sky of the southern hemisphere of the planet.
Note that the creation of the Observatory AstroSat spent almost 20 years. Besides ISRO is involved in the project of the canadian space Agency and the Institute of English, Leicester. The final cost of the project amounted to about 45 million $ us. In addition to the SXT telescope, which works in the soft x-ray spectrum on Board are measuring the CPM particles, x-ray telescope and x-ray CZTI "watch" LAXPC, ultraviolet telescope UVIT.
The main purpose of Astrosat, according to Indian astrophysics, studies are considered for dual x-ray stars, whose nature is still not fully understood by astrologers. As scientists assume, simultaneous study of such objects in the optical, x-ray and ultraviolet spectra can help to understand how black holes eat matter.
sections: Society, World News