GLAST Cube Images
INTRO
The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is a space observatory
that will study some of the most energetic events in the Universe. GLAST
will bring unprecedented clarity to a Universe invisible to our eyes yet,
quite literally, all around us. The images and illustrations on this cube
describe some of the exotic wonders that will be studied by GLAST, following
its launch in late 2006.
(click on images for a larger view) |
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ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI
At the center of an active galaxy lies a monster: a supermassive black hole.
As matter falls toward the hole, it forms a rotating, flattened disk called
an accretion disk. Through processes still unknown, some black holes can
form jets of matter and energy that stream outward. Active galactic nuclei,
like the one depicted here in an artist’s illustration, are sites
of gamma ray formation. GLAST will observe thousands of such sources. |
| Credit:
Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University |
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PULSAR
If a magnetic neutron star spins rapidly, it will create beams of energy
that rotate along with the star like the beams from a lighthouse. When one
sweeps over the Earth, we see a pulse of energy from it. Some pulsars emit
gamma rays, but there are two competing theories as to the origin of the
gamma-radiation. GLAST observations may distinguish between the two models,
perhaps ending this long-standing mystery. |
| Credit: NASA/Chandra Observatory |
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SUPERNOVA REMNANT
The turbulent magnetic fields generated in the shock waves from a supernova
may be the birthplace of cosmic rays, extremely energetic particles that
speed across space. GLAST will peer with unprecedented clarity into the
region where cosmic rays are formed, helping scientists solve the riddle
of how these particles are accelerated to such fantastic energies. |
| Credit: NASA/Chandra Observatory |
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SOLAR FLARE
Our own modest star is capable of extraordinary outbursts. The writhing
interior of the Sun generates twisted, complex magnetic field lines. When
these break and reconnect, they can generate vast amounts of energy, equal
to a million megatons of TNT. Energetic subatomic particles are created
in such events, which decay to form gamma rays. GLAST will be sensitive
to this emission, and may help untangle the mystery in our own backyard. |
| Credit: NASA/SOHO/EIT |
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HYPERNOVA
When a massive star (perhaps 10-40 times the Sun’s mass) explodes,
it is called a supernova. If the star is very massive, more than 40 times
that of Sun, and spins rapidly, it may form a hypernova, a kind of super-supernova.
Theoretical arguments show that the energy released in a hypernova could
power the longer duration gamma-ray bursts, which often show afterglows
in X-ray, visible, infrared, and radio light. GLAST will determine if they
commonly create high-energy gamma rays. |
| Credit: Dave Armbrecht, Spectrum
Astro |
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BINARY NEUTRON STAR
Neutron stars are the fantastically dense remnants of massive stars after
they explode as a supernova. If two neutron stars orbit each other closely,
the distance between them will shrink as they emit gravitational energy.
After a lifetime of dancing, they may merge creating a short-duration
gamma-ray burst. GLAST will detect hundreds of short and long duration
gamma-ray bursts, the biggest bangs in today's Universe. |
| Credit: Aurore Simonnet,
Sonoma State University |
Large Sides of
cube |
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GAMMA-RAY BURST SKY MAP
Every day, somewhere in the Universe, a black hole is born. Its birth is
announced by the scream of a gamma ray burst, an event which may release
as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun will in its entire life. GRBs
can come from anywhere in the sky, as seen in this map made by the BATSE
instrument onboard NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. |
Credit: NASA/CGRO/BATSE |
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GLAST OBSERVATORY
The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is a space observatory
being built in collaboration among NASA, the Office of Science in the U.
S. Department of Energy, and institutions in France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
and Sweden. It will detect gamma rays: high-energy particles of light generated
only in the most fantastically powerful events in the Universe, and will
also search for signatures of dark matter. Spectrum-Astro Inc. is designing
and building GLAST’s spacecraft vehicle. |
Credit: Spectrum
Astro and Aurore Simonnet |
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GLAST Simulated Sky Map
The Universe glows in gamma rays. This glow is the combination of diffuse
emission from our own Milky Way Galaxy, distant galaxies, pulsars, and a
myriad of other, mostly unidentified, sources. GLAST will resolve much of
the extragalactic diffuse radiation into individual sources, revealing the
nature of the glow for the first time. |
Credit: Seth
Digel, Stanford University |
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