The Einstein research study has Spanish participation through the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), which depends on the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and is now ready to observe the sky in X-rays and contribute to the study of the Cosmos. , after obtaining the first images of celestial objects.
It was launched on January 9 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the European Space Agency (ESA), Germany's Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) and France's National Center for Space Research.
Researcher at the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC). Poor Nanda, is a member of ESA's Einstein Research Group; Post Graduate Researchers of ICE-CSIC and IEEC, Francesco Gotti Gelati and Alessio MarinoParticipate in the project as co-members of the Science Thematic Group on Small Objects.
This international mission has the potential to expand our understanding of extreme cosmic events and provide valuable data to address important questions about the structure and evolution of the universe.
In addition, ESA will have access to 10% of the data generated, allowing the European scientific community to play a key role in the analysis of its findings.
Observing the universe through “God's eyes”.
Thanks to its optical technology inspired by the eyes of crabs, the probe can observe extensive areas of the sky in three orbits around Earth, allowing it to detect and track X-ray emissions from various astronomical objects.
In the months leading up to launch, the mission operations team has been conducting the necessary tests to confirm the probe's functionality and calibrate the science instruments. During this critical phase, the Einstein probe captured scientific data from several X-ray sources.
These first images demonstrate the extraordinary capabilities of two scientific instruments Einstein explored. Wide-field WXT telescope.
“Not only will the Einstein Probe be a perfect 'hunter' of new transient X-ray sources, but given its unprecedentedly large field of view, it will allow systematic characterization of the X-ray properties of sources located in regions. “The potential for new discoveries that have never been noticed before is enormous,” said the researcher. Francesco Cody Gelati.
For his part, the researcher Alessio Marino “With its unprecedented 'vision', Einstein Probe's WXT will be able to observe all kinds of cosmic explosions in the sky, while monitoring known astronomical sources for signs of unexpected activity,” it described. “It was a turning point in modern astronomy,” he noted.
Next steps for Einstein research
In the coming months, the Einstein probe will continue on-orbit calibration operations before beginning its routine science observations in mid-June.
During the three-year mission, the satellite will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 600 km and use the FXT follow-up telescope to keep its eyes on the sky for newly discovered phenomena and other known interesting objects.
“We are at a golden moment to reveal the physics governing high-energy unstable objects in the sky. Having the special data of the Einstein probe mission will allow our team to have a strong advantage in the great discoveries we can expect in the coming years,” highlighted the researcher. Poor Nanda.
The Einstein Probe capability supports deep surveys of individual cosmic sources enabled by the XMM-Newton and XRISM telescopes. Its study is essential for preparing the X-ray observations of the future ESA NewAthena mission, currently under study and the largest X-ray observatory ever built.
