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NASA's NuSTAR Space Telescope Is Turning 10

It's been 10 years full of accomplishments for NASA's NuSTAR space telescope. The observatory has studied black holes, has uncovered the mysteries of neutron stars, and examined how the elements form in the explosions of supernovae. A decade might have passed, but NuSTAR isn't ready to retire.
Illustration of NASA’s NuSTAR space telescope 6 photos
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Illustration of NASA’s NuSTAR space telescopeX-rays from the Sun seen in the green and blue observations by NuSTARIllustration shows a black hole with a jet extending into spaceFlare of X-rays around a black holeIllustration of NASA’s NuSTAR space telescope
NASA launched NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) on June 13th, 2012. Over the last decade, the telescope has been working hard to identify high-energy X-ray light that comes from some of the universe's most energetic celestial objects and processes.

Its findings helped researchers understand more about our Sun and why its upper atmosphere, or corona, is way hotter than its surface. It also looked at the formation of larger flares, which could harm satellites and astronauts.

Hundreds of black holes hidden behind dense clouds of gas and dust have also been discovered by NuSTAR. Visible light can't usually get through such clouds, but the observatory's high-energy X-ray radiation was able to, thus providing crucial data about their strange behaviors.

It revealed what happens to the material next to them, showing not only how they distort the fabric that shapes our universe but how they can spew out jets of hot gas that extend hundreds of light-years into space. NuSTAR made the first "unambiguous measurement" of a black hole's spin, which is the degree to which a black hole's gravity warps the space around it. The result proved some of the aspects of Einstein's theory of general relativity.

And NuSTAR's list of accomplishments doesn't stop there. The telescope studied neutron stars, which form when the core of giant stars collapses. They are typically about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) in diameter, but they're one of the densest objects in the universe. NASA says that "one sugar cube of neutron star material would weigh about 1 trillion kilograms (or 1 billion tons) on Earth – about as much as a mountain."

NuSTAR helped researchers discover that one such object located in the galaxy M82 emits the energy of ten million Suns. Studying these stars more closely allowed scientists to better understand their physical properties.

The telescope will continue to make observations of the universe and look at some of the most energetic objects.
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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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