Belinda Wilkes – Tour X-ray Universe with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched on 23 July 1999 by the Space Shuttle Columbia. Now in its 25th year of operations, Chandra continues to be an indispensable tool for expanding the frontiers of knowledge throughout astrophysics. Chandra’s uniquely high (sub-arcsec) spatial, and spectral resolution have facilitated the deepest and sharpest images of the X-ray sky and the highest quality X-ray spectra to date. I will review Chandra’s launch and unique capabilities, and describe some of Chandra’s spectacular discoveries across the whole range of celestial sources from our own solar system to the most distant super-massive black holes.

Website: chandra.si.edu

Honorary Professor & Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellow, School of Physics, University of Bristol
&
Former Director, Chandra X-ray Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge MA USA