The Invisible Sky: ROSAT and the Age of X-Ray Astronomy

The Invisible Sky: ROSAT and the Age of X-Ray Astronomy

Since ROSAT, the ROentgen SATellite (named after Wilhelm Roentgen, the German physicist credited with discovering X-rays), was launched in June of 1990, it has revealed an entirely new aspect of the night skythat of objects emitting X-rays rather than the rays of light visible to the human eye. ROSAT has discovered over 120,000 X-ray sources, allowing us to observe elements of the cosmosstellar explosions, galactic collisions, extremely compact pulsars, black holes, and quasars that shine 10,000 times more strongly than the brightest galaxyin ways that were previously impossible.

In addition to its many other spectacular findings, ROSAT made news headlines on March 27, 1996 when it detected X-rays coming from a comet for the first time ever. Discovered by a team of U.S. and German astrophysicists while observing Comet Hyakutake, ROSAT revealed an incredibly strong radiation signalabout 100 times brighter than even the most optimistic redictions.

This lavishly illustrated book is the first to describe one of the most remarkable instruments in modern astronomy. It offers fascinating images and engaging accounts of a wide range of Solar System and deep space objects such as Comet Hyakutake, the Sun, the Moon, and objects outside the Milky Way.

The Invisible Sky tells the story of one of the most successful scientific instruments ever launched through the words of two of the scientists who were instrumental in the design and launching of the satellite, along with Hermann-Michael Hann, an accomplished science journalist. This extraordianry collaboration chronicles the beginnings, early failures, construction, and deployment of the most famous of X-ray observatories in a highly readable account of cutting-edge science illustrated with spectacular color images from ROSAT

Bernd Aschenbach , Hermann-Michael Hahn , Joachim Trümper , H. Jenkner

Springer

13/apr/98

Hardcover

nothing

STE0760

387949283