MOSCOW, 19 Jul — RIA Novosti. the Russian space astrophysical Observatory “Spektr-RG”, using the German telescope eROSITA has built the world’s best map of the entire sky in x-rays, said the Institute of space research.
the Observatory “Spektr-RG” was launched into space in July 2019. In October it reached an operating point at 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
“the first view of the sky the satellite “Spektr-RG” allowed the eROSITA telescope to build the map with almost 10 times more sources and is four times more sensitive than the former best in the world map of the German satellite ROSAT, received in 1990″, — stated in the message of the Institute, arrived in RIA Novosti.
it is Noted that for the six months scanning the sky German telescope was able to double the total number of sources registered all satellites in the world for 60 years x-ray astronomy.
According to the Institute, good angular resolution and high sensitivity of the eROSITA telescope allowed us to map the more than one million of compact sources and tens of thousands long.
Three-quarters of all objects on the map is distant quasars and nuclei of active galaxies that have supermassive black holes radiating at the expense of falling of the substance. “They are far beyond the milky Way at distances of hundreds of millions and billions of light years away,” said the Institute.
it is Planned that in a few days “Spektr-RG” will begin the second sky survey, which runs until the end of the year.
the Observatory “Spektr-RG”, built at NPO Lavochkin, includes two telescopes: eROSITA created by society extraterrestrial physics Institute of the max Planck (Germany) and ART-XC, developed by space research Institute and manufactured in cooperation with all-Russian research Institute of experimental physics in Sarov and space flight Center Marshall in Huntsville (Alabama).
the Purpose of “Spectrum-RG” — to make for four years the map of the Universe, photographing in high resolution the sky in x-rays. All will be built eight cards, each go for six months. The most accurate map that will combine the eight surveys will be completed and published in the area of 2025.
