ISRO captures supernova in space

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said its maiden X-ray polarimetric mission has captured the energy emanating from the explosion of a star which is called supernova.

The XSPECT payload on XPoSat, India's first X-ray polarimetric mission, has captured its first light from the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant, the space agency said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"During its performance verification phase, XSPECT, a payload on XPoSat (a satellite launched on January one), was directed towards Cassiopeia A, a standard celestial source used for instrument evaluation. The observation commenced on January 5, 2024, capturing the supernova remnant's emission lines corresponding to elements such as magnesium, silicon, sulphur, argon, calcium, and iron," it added.

XPoSat carries two co-aligned instruments, POLarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX) and X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing (XSPECT), aimed at unravelling the mysteries of cosmic X-ray sources.

While the POLIX instrument focuses on investigating X-ray polarisation in medium-energy X-rays, the XSPECT payload, engages in continuous and long-term spectral and temporal studies of X-ray sources in the soft X-ray band, ISRO said.

The continuous observations facilitated by XSPECT's long-duration capabilities are anticipated to contribute significantly to our understanding of the universe's high-energy phenomena, according to ISRO.