XRISM Stories
Very Cold Detectors Reveal the Very Hot Universe and Kick Off a New Era in X-ray Astronomy
X-rays are radiated by matter hotter than one million Kelvin, and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy can tell us about the composition of the matter and how fast and in what direction it is moving. Quantum calorimeters are opening this new window…
NASA, JAXA XRISM Mission Looks Deeply Into ‘Hidden’ Stellar System
The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has captured the most detailed portrait yet of gases flowing within Cygnus X-3, one of the most studied sources in the X-ray sky. Cygnus X-3 is a binary that pairs a…
NASA, JAXA XRISM Spots Iron Fingerprints in Nearby Active Galaxy
After starting science operations in February, Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) studied the monster black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151. “XRISM’s Resolve instrument captured a detailed spectrum of the area around the black hole,” said…
NASA/JAXA’s XRISM Mission Captures Unmatched Data With Just 36 Pixels
At a time when phone cameras are capable of taking snapshots with millions of pixels, an instrument on the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) satellite captures revolutionary science with just 36 of them. “That may sound impossible, but…
NASA/JAXA XRISM Mission Reveals Its First Look at X-ray Cosmos
The Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) observatory has released a first look at the unprecedented data it will collect when science operations begin later this year. The satellite’s science team released a snapshot of a cluster of hundreds…
New X-ray Detectors to Provide Unprecedented Vision of the Invisible Universe
PROJECT: Advanced Magnetic Microcalorimeter development SNAPSHOT: A new class of X-ray detector with unprecedented energy resolution and array size could help transform our understanding of the cosmos through unparalleled vision into the otherwise invisible universe. Very detailed information is now…
JAXA, NASA XRISM Mission Ready for Liftoff
Editor’s Note, Sept. 6, 2023: XRISM launched successfully on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, at 7:42 p.m. EDT (Thursday, Sept. 7, 8:42 a.m. in Japan). The spacecraft separated from the rocket at 7:56 p.m. EDT. Editor’s Note, Sept. 4, 2023: The launch date for XRISM…
XRISM Mission Ready To Explore Universe’s Hottest Locales
Japan’s XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, pronounced “crism”) observatory, expected to launch Aug. 25 (Aug. 26 Japan local time), will provide an unprecedented view into some of the hottest places in the universe. And it will do so using…
XRISM Mission To Study ‘Rainbow’ of X-rays
A new satellite called XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, pronounced “crism”) aims to pry apart high-energy light into the equivalent of an X-ray rainbow. The mission, led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), will do this using an instrument…