NASA/JAXA XRISM mission reveals cosmic secrets with minimal pixels

Despite most phone cameras possessing millions of pixels, the XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) satellite uses just 36 pixels in its Resolve instrument to capture critical scientific data.

"That may sound impossible, but it's actually true," said Richard Kelley, the U.S. principal investigator for XRISM at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The Resolve instrument gives us a deeper look at the makeup and motion of X-ray-emitting objects using technology invented and refined at Goddard over the past several decades."

Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and in collaboration with NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and other partners, XRISM has been operational since its launch last September. It focuses on soft X-rays which have energies significantly higher than visible light, exploring the universe's most intense environments and phenomena, such as supermassive black holes.

"Resolve is more than a camera. Its detector takes the temperature of each X-ray that strikes it," said Brian Williams, NASA's XRISM project scientist at Goddard. "We call Resolve a microcalorimeter spectrometer because each of its 36 pixels is measuring tiny amounts of heat delivered by each incoming X-ray, allowing us to see the chemical fingerprints of elements making up the sources in unprecedented detail."

The Resolve instrument must be cooled to just above absolute zero to function correctly. Its precise measurements enable scientists to visualize the dynamics of elements in space, providing insights into the structures of galaxies and the aftermath of supernova explosions.

With only 36 pixels, Resolve is helping astronomers pioneer new frontiers in space exploration.

XRISM is a multinational effort with over 70 institutions from Japan, the U.S., Canada, and Europe participating. NASA Goddard developed the Resolve detector, essential subsystems, and manages the mission's Science Data Center.

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