NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Releases Deep Cut From Cosmological Archive
The world-renowned Chandra X-ray Observatory has amassed a "back catalog" of cosmic recordings that are unparalleled in terms of scope and detail. To make these vast archives accessible, NASA scientists have developed the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC), which boasts an impressive 400,000 unique sources and over 1.3 million individual detections.
The CSC contains a wealth of information gathered from Chandra's observations, including precise positions on the sky and details about X-ray energies detected. This treasure trove of data allows scientists to combine Chandra's X-ray insights with information from other telescopes, such as NASA's James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes.
A stunning new image of the Galactic Center, a region around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, showcases the CSC's capabilities. Spanning 60 light-years across, this image features over 3,300 individual sources emitting X-rays, compiled from 86 observations representing an astonishing three million seconds of Chandra observing time.
To visualize the vast scope of the CSC, NASA has released a sonification, translating astronomical data into sound. This sonic representation encompasses 22 years of Chandra observations across the sky and highlights the telescope's repeat X-ray sightings over time through different notes.
The CSC can be accessed online at https://cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/csc/. The project is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and controlled by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The world-renowned Chandra X-ray Observatory has amassed a "back catalog" of cosmic recordings that are unparalleled in terms of scope and detail. To make these vast archives accessible, NASA scientists have developed the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC), which boasts an impressive 400,000 unique sources and over 1.3 million individual detections.
The CSC contains a wealth of information gathered from Chandra's observations, including precise positions on the sky and details about X-ray energies detected. This treasure trove of data allows scientists to combine Chandra's X-ray insights with information from other telescopes, such as NASA's James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes.
A stunning new image of the Galactic Center, a region around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, showcases the CSC's capabilities. Spanning 60 light-years across, this image features over 3,300 individual sources emitting X-rays, compiled from 86 observations representing an astonishing three million seconds of Chandra observing time.
To visualize the vast scope of the CSC, NASA has released a sonification, translating astronomical data into sound. This sonic representation encompasses 22 years of Chandra observations across the sky and highlights the telescope's repeat X-ray sightings over time through different notes.
The CSC can be accessed online at https://cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/csc/. The project is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and controlled by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I mean, 400k unique sources and over 1.3 million individual detections? That's crazy talk! 
And now they've got this sonification thingy that translates astronomical data into sound? It's like music to my ears... literally! 
I'm low-key obsessed with the new Galactic Center image too, it's so mind-blowing to see all those X-ray sources lit up on screen 
. Can't wait to dive deeper into this CSC and explore all the cosmic secrets hidden within.
we've been missing out on so much for decades... and now with the sonification thingy... i mean who needs music when u can just hear space in all its glory 
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? The new image of the Galactic Center is like wow so cool! 60 light-years across and over 3,300 sources... my kids can barely focus on their screens for that long 
. And I love how they made a sonification out of it - sounds like music to me 
️.
And what kind of tech did NASA use to create this sonification thingy? It sounds so cool! 
I mean, I'd love to listen to the sound of 22 years of Chandra observing time... would it be like a soundtrack for space exploration or something? 
I'm literally blown away by this new discovery from the Chandra X-ray Observatory 
also, what's with the sonification? sounds like a bunch of random notes to me 