Chandra Chronicles 7 Jan 2003
Sagittarius A*: Milky Way Monster Stars in Cosmic Reality Show
The longest X-ray look yet at the supermassive black hole at the Milky
Way’s center has given astronomers unprecedented access to its life and
times. The new data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory revealed that
our galaxy’s central black hole is a frequent bad actor, prone to
numerous outbursts and occasional large explosions.
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2003/0203long
Nobel Days and Nights in Stockholm: From Black Holes to White Ties
In October 2002, we learned that Riccardo Giacconi had
been awarded one half of the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics for his pioneering
work leading to the discovery of cosmic x-ray sources. Riccardo was cited
for the detection of the first extra-solar x-ray source – Sco X-1 and the
discovery of the all-sky x-ray background in a 1962 rocket flight.
The Nobel press release also noted Riccardo’s efforts to develop the
first x-ray telescopes, so essential for the advancement of the field.
