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Constellation-X will be an extremely powerful X-ray observatory that will probe the mysteries of black holes, dark matter, and dark energy. This mission will consist of four X-ray telescopes, all aboard a single spacecraft, that will work in unison like a giant telescope. With its large mirrors for collecting X-rays, Constellation-X will have about 100 times greater sensitivity than the current generation of X-ray observatories—the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku. With Constellation-X, scientists will be able to collect more data in just one hour than they would have collected in days or weeks with current X-ray telescopes.
Constellation-X will allow astronomers to make extremely detailed observations of how matter and energy behave very close to a black hole. Scientists will look at the spectrum of X-rays emitted by gas just before it spirals into black holes. These observations will reveal the motions of the gas as well as probe how time slows to a crawl just outside the black hole. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity makes specific predictions about the behavior of matter close to a black hole and the kind of X-ray spectrum it should produce. If Constellation-X reveals any deviation from these predictions, it will lead us into a new era of physics—truly taking us Beyond Einstein.
 | | This composite image shows the galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56, also known as the "bullet cluster." This cluster was formed after the collision of two large clusters of galaxies, the most energetic event known in the universe since the Big Bang. [More...] |
Constellation-X will also be a powerful tool for studying dark matter and dark energy by observing the hot, X-ray-emitting gas between galaxies within clusters. These observations will allow astronomers to measure the distances to dozens of clusters as well as count the number of clusters of various masses. This information, in turn, yields important clues about the profoundly mysterious dark energy that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate and is changing the way that matter clumps together to form galaxy clusters.
While the primary focus of Constellation-X will be on black holes, dark matter, and dark energy, it will have enormous impact in every other area of astrophysics. For example, by watching hot gas flowing in or out of distant galaxies, we will learn new things about how galaxies form and evolve. The observatory will also search for the so-called "missing baryons"—the 60% of familiar atomic matter predicted by the Big Bang theory but that astronomers have not yet identified. Constellation-X will be able to test whether the baryons exist as warm gas spread through intergalactic space, as many theorists predict.
The mission will also address an important area of research: the nature and behavior of matter when compressed to ultrahigh density. Contellation-X will be able to make precise measurements of the masses and diameters of neutron stars, the densest objects in the universe other than black holes. These observations will give particle physicists a treasure trove of information on extreme yet stable states of matter that cannot be replicated in laboratory experiments on Earth.
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