Roscosmos showed visualizations of five cosmic objects

The state corporation Roscosmos and the scientific group of the Spectr-RG observatory have published a series of artistic visualizations of five cosmic objects. The images are based on data from the ART-XC X-ray telescope named after M.N. Pavlinsky.

The visualizations were developed based on observations and calculations by specialists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The list includes objects that are difficult or impossible to capture in the visible spectrum: the binary system Swift J1727.8−1613 with a black hole, the millisecond X-ray pulsar SRGA J144459.2−604207, the supernova SN 2023ixf in the galaxy M101, the quasar SRGA J230631.0+155633, and the binary system Hercules X-1.

The ART-XC telescope is located on board the Spectr-RG space observatory in the vicinity of the Lagrange point L2 of the Sun-Earth system, at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers from the planet. The device explores outer space in the hard X-ray range and has so far performed eight full sky surveys.

In addition to fundamental research, part of the telescope's program is focused on testing autonomous space navigation systems. In the future, pulses from isolated pulsars are planned to be used as reference signals, allowing interplanetary spacecraft to determine their coordinates without a constant communication session with Earth.