An overview of the Chandra mission and goals, Chandra's namesake, top 10 facts.
Classroom activities, printable materials, interactive games & more.
Overview of X-ray Astronomy and X-ray sources: black holes to galaxy clusters.
All Chandra images released to the public listed by date & by category
Current Chandra press releases, status reports, interviews & biographies.
A collection of multimedia, illustrations & animations, a glossary, FAQ & more.
A collection of illustrations, animations and video.
Chandra discoveries in an audio/video format.
Q&A: X-ray Astronomy
Why do we need X-ray telescopes?
Because much of the
matter in the universe cannot be seen by any other telescope.
X-ray telescopes are the only way we can observe extremely hot
matter with temperatures of millions of degrees Celsius. It
takes gigantic explosions, or intense magnetic or gravitational
fields to energize particles to these high temperatures. Where
do such conditions exist? In an astonishing variety of places,
ranging from the vast spaces between galaxies to the bizarre,
collapsed worlds of neutron stars and black holes.
