With the launch of NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) into space on Thursday, scientists are one step closer to understanding some of the universe's most mysterious objects.
The goal of the two-year mission is to study and measure the polarization of light from supermassive black holes, supernova explosions, and dozens of other extreme celestial events, NASA said. There are three cutting-edge telescopes on the IXPE equipped with special polarization-sensitive detectors, giving NASA scientists the ability to study the physics behind these dramatic objects and the environments they emerged from, helping them determine how black holes spin and pulsars shine so brightly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winnersFeature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 yearsSpeed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
The treasure trove of platinum on the moonUnder the radar This kind of bounty could lead to commercial exploitation
-
Why Elon Musk's satellites are 'dropping like flies'Under The Radar Fierce solar activity destroying Starlink satellites
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study findsSpeed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Why is Nasa facing a crisis?Today's Big Question Trump administration proposes 25% cut to national space agency's budget in 'extinction-level event'
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves babyspeed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Full moon calendar 2025: when is the next full moon?In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beatspeed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
