Bengaluru: A payload on XPoSat, India’s first X-ray polarimetric mission, has captured its first light from the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant.
The observation which commenced on January 5 has verified the performance of the payload, XSPECT, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday. XSPECT, or X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing, was directed towards Cas A during its performance verification phase. The payload captured Cas A’s emission lines that correspond to elements like magnesium, silicon, sulphur, argon, calcium, and iron.
Cas A is the remnant of a supernova explosion and is located 11,000 light years away from the earth. Observations on Cas A are used to evaluate the performance of instruments in space.
XSPECT is developed by the space astronomy group of the U R Rao Satellite Centre. The payload, with its long-duration capabilities, is expected to record continuous observations that will help analyse the universe’s high-energy phenomena in greater detail.
Launched on January 1, XPoSat carries two payloads in a low earth orbit and the mission is aimed at providing a greater understanding of astronomical X-ray sources. XSPECT engages in continuous, long-term spectral and temporal studies of X-ray sources and the primary payload, POLIX (POLarimeter Instrument in X-rays), investigates polarisation in medium-energy X-rays.
X-ray polarimetry is used to study the sources of cosmic rays, black holes, neutron stars etc. The polarimetric measurements provided by POLIX – the degree and angle of polarisation – are expected to significantly improve the understanding of complex processes of emission from astronomical sources.
Published 11 January 2024, 12:57 IST