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Every three days INTEGRAL orbits the Earth once. The spacecraft spends most of its time at the furthest parts of its orbit, at an altitude higher than 40 000 kilometres, well outside the Earth's radiation belts, to avoid background radiation effects. From here ESA's gamma-ray observatory sends back to Earth new information about the most exciting phenomena in the universe. It reports on violent explosions, the formation of elements, black holes and other exotic objects in our Milky Way, the cosmic neighbourhood and much further, in distant galaxies at the edge of the observable universe. NASA built a "great observatory" for gamma-ray astronomy. The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) was designed to take advantage of the major advances in detector technology during the 1980s, and was launched in 1991. The satellite carried four major instruments which have greatly improved the spatial and temporal resolution of gamma-ray observations. The CGRO provided large amounts of data which are being used to improve our understanding of the high-energy processes in our Universe. Today's main space-based gamma ray observatory is the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, (INTEGRAL). INTEGRAL is an ESA mission with contributions from Czech, Poland, USA and Russia.
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Gamma rays at around 10^20 - from space are blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere – fortunately for us, because this powerful radiation is lethal. Gamma-ray (wavelengths less than 0.01 nanometres) telescopes in space give evidence for the processes that made the Universe habitable, where Hz = 1/s and wavelengths in nm = 10-9 m.. They are useful to astronomers in the study of high-energy objects or regions and find a use with physicists thanks to their penetrative ability and their production from radioisotopes. X-rays in cm are down to about the size of an atom while Gamma rays are very small with a wavelength down to about 10^-12 cm or about the size of an atomic nuclei. The wavelength of gamma rays can be measured with high accuracy by means of Compton scattering. Some scientists have begun to study the most energetic of this energy, cosmic rays of very high energy ( about 10 eV ), cosmic rays can lie in the 10^22 frequency, ESA's Integral spacecraft is now studying the phenomenon known as 'gamma-ray bursts'.
Galactic Centre Region
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=37890
The task of INTEGRAL, ESA's International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, is to gather some of the most energetic radiation that comes from space.
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Gamma-ray Detectors
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/scien … ctors.html
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was the second of NASA's Great Observatories. Compton, at 17 tons, was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at the time of its launch on April 5, 1991 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis. Compton was safely deorbited and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on June 4, 2000.
http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cgro/index.html
Integral: three years of insight into the violent cosmos
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMY146Y3EE_index_0.html
Integral is surveying the sky continuously using four instruments – two main gamma-ray instruments dedicated to imaging (IBIS) and spectroscopy (SPI), an X-ray instrument (JEM-X) and an optical monitor (OMC).
These instruments are Integral’s ‘eyes’ – providing for the first time simultaneous, single-satellite observations in different wavelengths of the most energetic objects and phenomena in the Universe
Highlights from INTEGRAL
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object … ctid=38098
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http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=18313
ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has discovered a new, highly populated class of X-ray fast 'transient' binary stars, undetected in previous observations.
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM20VJBWFE_in … l#subhead2
This simulated sequence shows the interaction between the stellar material carried by the wind of a supergiant star and its 'receiving' companion - a compact stellar object such as a neutron star. In the vicinity of the compact object it is possible to see the development of a turbulent shocked flow.
The new class of double star systems is characterised by a very compact object that produces highly energetic, recurrent and fast-growing X-ray outbursts, and a very luminous "supergiant" companion.
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A Supernova Every 50 Years
http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … tml?512006
Using ESA's Integral observatory, an international team of researchers has been able to confirm the production of radioactive aluminium (Al 26) in massive stars and supernovae throughout our galaxy and determine the rate of supernovae - one of its key parameters.
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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