The Spektr-RG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) space mission, slated to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome net year, will help to draw up a map of the universe including three million black holes, project scientist Rashid Sunyaev said.

The Spektr-RG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) space mission intends to map at least three million black holes across the Universe, project astrophysicist Rashid Sunyaev said during an award ceremony at the Kremlin on Monday.

"The aim of this observatory is very simple: to create a detailed map of the entire universe with millions of sources," Sunyaev said, RIA Novosti reported.

"One of the goals is that we will see at least three million supermassive black holes in the sky. We will put them on the map and people will know where the black holes are."

The space observatory is slated for launch from Baikonur in March 2018 aboard the Proton-M rocket, which will take 100 days to transport the satellite to its position 1.5 million kilometers from Earth at the second Lagrange point, or L2.

Instead of orbiting the Earth, the spaceship will remain in a fixed position in L2, a location in space where gravitational forces and the orbital motion of the Sun and Earth balance each other.

The observatory is fitted with two X-ray mirror telescopes, eROSITA and ART-XC, which detect X-rays in the energy range of 0.2 - 12.0 keV and 6 - 30 keV respectively.

A joint project between Roscosmos and the German Aerospace Center, Spektr-RG will perform the imaging all-sky survey in the medium energy X-ray range up to 10 keV with an unprecedented spectral and angular resolution.

"Both these telescopes have been stored for five months waiting for assembly at the NPO Lavochkin aerospace company. After final checks, they will be docked on the satellite and Russia will launch the satellite to the second Lagrange point - an area in which the Sun, Earth and Moon will always be on one side of the satellite," the scientist explained.

The study aims to detect gamma rays and X-rays in order to map 50-100 thousand galaxy clusters and up to three million distant galactic nuclei.

It is thought that black holes lie at the center of every galaxy, and the luminosity that comes from the accretion disk of cold dust and gas that surrounds them is an important cosmic X-ray source.

Spektr-RG will also carry out a detailed study of the physics of galactic X-ray sources like pre-main sequence stars, supernova remnants and X-ray binaries. The latter comprise a normal star and a collapsed star, a binary that gives off X-rays as gravity from the collapsed star attracts and heats material from the normal star.

Source: Sputnik News

Tweet

RIT study suggests dying stars give newborn black holes a swift kick
Rochester NY (SPX) Jun 06, 2017
New information gleaned from gravitational wave observations is helping scientists understand what happens when massive stars die and transform into black holes. Rochester Institute of Technology researcher Richard O'Shaughnessy and collaborators reanalyzed the merging black holes detected by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) on Dec. 26, 2016. "Using essentia ... read more

Related Links
Spectrum Roentgen Gamma
Understanding Time and Space

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only