Astrophysics Branch
Marshall Space Flight Center's Astrophysics Branch uses space and ground-based observatories to peer back to the earliest epochs of the universe, unravel its mysteries, and study the most violent explosions in our galaxy and beyond. Our goal is to help discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars.
Katherine Stevenson-Chavis, Chief of the Astrophysics Branch at MSFC, attended the Alabama A & M State University’s (HBCU) distinguished 23rd Putcha Venkateswarlu Annual Memorial Lecture on Friday, September 15, 2023. Venkateswarly was a physics professor who supervised over 50 PhD …
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Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, ESA’s XMM-Newton and other telescopes, astronomers have determined that a giant black hole, 290 million light-years away, has destroyed a large star and strewn its contents into space. This event, a “tidal disruption event,” or …
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From 7/31-8/3/23, Stephen Bongiorno (ST12) traveled to ReliaCoat Technologies (RcT) in Bohemia, NY with collaborator Suzanne Romaine (SAO) to supervise plasma thermal spray coating of an X-ray optic for the Merging Technologies project. For this project, the ART-XC M20 mandrel …
Launched in 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory began its 25th year in orbit on July 23, 2023. Originally a 3 year mission (with a 5 year goal), continuous engineering and science efforts are ongoing to ensure Chandra’s longevity. Largest among …
On 7/18/23, NASA posted “NASA’s IXPE Fires Up Astronomers With New Blazar Findings” (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ixpe/feature/nasa-s-ixpe-fires-up-astronomers-with-new-blazar-findings), reporting rotating x-ray polarization in the blazar Markarian 421, suggesting a helical magnetic-field structure within its jet. See the image below. On 7/28/23, Astronomy & Astrophysics …
Imaging X-Ray Polarimetery Explorer (IXPE) News and Publications Read More »