NASA's newest X-ray telescope sets sight on first science target - a supernova remnant

According to NASA, IXPE began observing Cassiopeia A or Cas A, the remains of a massive star that blew itself apart in a supernova around 350 years ago in the Milky Way galaxy, on January 11. The observation will last about three weeks and will provide details about Cas A's magnetic field structure that can't be observed in other ways.

Just over a month after launch, NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), the first space observatory dedicated to studying the polarization of X-rays coming from objects like exploded stars and black holes, has started observing its first official scientific target - the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A.

"Having spent just over a month in space, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is working and already zeroing in on some of the hottest, most energetic objects in the universe," NASA said in a statement on Monday.

According to NASA, IXPE began observing Cassiopeia A or Cas A, the remains of a massive star that blew itself apart in a supernova around 350 years ago in the Milky Way galaxy, on January 11. The observation will last about three weeks and will provide details about Cas A's magnetic field structure that can't be observed in other ways.

"One thing is certain: we can expect the unexpected."After launching into orbit last month, our #IXPE observatory is taking its first look at the polarized X-rays of our universe—starting with the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A: https://t.co/eXOiHlsKoC pic.twitter.com/rfm5IhyXtq

— NASA (@NASA) January 12, 2022

NASA's IXPE launched on December 9, 2021, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and deployed successfully on Dec. 15. The mission, an international collaboration between NASA, the Italian Space Agency, along with partners and providers in 12 other countries, is planned to observe more than 30 planned targets during its first year in space, with more detailed follow-up observations during the second year.

IXPE's planned targets include distant supermassive black holes with energetic particle jets that light up their host galaxies, stellar-mass black holes, different types of neutron stars, such as pulsars and magnetars and other interesting objects that may appear in the sky or brighten unexpectedly.