Launch of the IXPE Observatory

Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

December 22, 2021.
The IXPE observatory was launched to low Earth orbit with a long exposure image.
The launch was on a rocket.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The IXPE Observatory was launched.
Jordan Sirokie has the rights to the image.

Birds don't fly high. Airplanes don't go fast. The Statue of Liberty is lighter. No other species can comprehend what is going on, and no human could just a millennium ago. The launch of a rocket is an event that challenges the imagination. The X-ray polarimetry explorer was carried on the Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. IXPE is going to observe high-energy objects such as black holes and the centers of distant galaxies to better determine the physics and geometries that create and control them. The 300,000+ kilogram rocket ship lifted IXPE up to circle the Earth, where the outside air is too thin to breathe. Every few days, a rocket is launched from somewhere on Earth.

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched.
The picture is about Three Planets and a comet.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

December 23, 2021.
See the explanation. Clicking on the picture will bring you to the download page.
The highest resolution version is available.

There are three planets and a comet.
Tunc Tezel (TWAN) has an image credit.

Are you still looking for the perfect holiday gift for an astronomer? The Solar System may have done your shopping if your night sky is dark and horizon clear. They can see planets and a comet after sunset. Venus is the most visible star in the evening sky from the village of Kirazli, Turkey. Look left and up to see the moon. Jupiter is the Solar System's ruling gas giant. This year's surprise visitor to the inner Solar System is near the horizon as well. The comet forms a triangle with planets Venus and Saturn in this view. A nice pair of binoculars is always a good idea as the comet is visible to the untrained eye.

The picture is in space.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.