Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Japanese Kibo Mission - MAXI acquires all-sky X-ray image in the fastest time

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/11/20091126_maxi_e.html

I hope you are keeping up with what is happening with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

http://www.jaxa.jp/pr/mail/index_e.html
With this JAXA Mail Service, latest information from JAXA will automatically be e-mailed to your address.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
Japanese Kibo Mission - MAXI acquires all-sky X-ray image in the fastest time
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/11/20091126_maxi_e.html
November 26, 2009 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) RIKEN

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and RIKEN have successfully acquired an all-sky X-ray image (Figure 1.) using the "Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI)" installed on the Exposed Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo." This quality image was achieved in the shortest period of time compared to other all-sky X-ray observation projects. In the future, it will be possible to repeatedly take this image every month or every few months.

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/11/20091126_maxi_e.html#pict1
Figure 1. All-sky X-ray image by the GSC of the MAXI
The image shows the all-sky in an oval shape on the "galactic coordinate" which indicates the Milky Way as a horizontal axis and the galactic center at the center of the image.

The image above was compiled using data acquired by the Gas Slit Camera (GSC), one of MAXI's onboard X-ray camera systems (Figure 3. in the Attachment), between August 15 and October 29, 2009 (Japan Standard Time.) (Please also refer to Figure 4. in the Attachment.)
Sources plotted in red in this figure radiate low-energy X-rays, and those in blue emit high-energy X-rays.

In this image, nearly 180 X-ray sources can be recognized by the eye.
Taking less than two months to complete, this is the world's quickest acquisition of an all-sky "color" X-ray image. This kind of all-sky X-ray image in a similar sensitivity and energy band was compiled by composing data obtained by the NASA satellite, HEAO-1, 30 years ago through its two-year survey.
(http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960102.html)

In addition, the MAXI reported to an international mailing list of astronomers on five X-ray sources that have suddenly increased their brightness since the beginning of its mission. (A0535+26, GRB090831A, GRB090926B, XTE J1752-223 and 4U2206+54 in Figure 2.)

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/11/20091126_maxi_e.html#pict2
Figure 2. Major X-ray sources and brightened sources detected by MAXI
(For more details, please refer to the Attachment)

snip
--------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/12/20091204_ikaros_e.html
IKAROS International Message Campaign for Mission Support

Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun (IKAROS)
International Message Campaign for Mission Support

December 4, 2009 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled to launch the Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun (IKAROS)*1 by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle in Japan Fiscal Year 2010 (as a secondary payload to the main payload, Venus Climate Orbiter
"AKATSUKI.")
We would like to launch a mission support campaign together with The Planetary Society in the United States, which also plans to launch a solar sail spacecraft named "LightSail-1"*2 at the end of 2010. JAXA would like to encourage people all over the world to send us their supportive messages to be carried aboard the IKAROS and the LightSail-1 on printed aluminum plates or on a Mini-DVD. We sincerely hope that our campaign will accelerate this international collaboration, exchange and promote the public's understanding of solar sail research and development.

The following is the information about the campaign.

1. Campaign name
"Let's Set Sail for the Solar System on a Solar Yacht!"

2. Campaign period
December 4 (Fri.), 2009 through March 14 (Sun.),
2010 (Japan Standard Time) for the Mini-DVD,
December 4 (Fri.), 2009 through February 28 (Sun.),
2010 (Japan Standard Time) for printed metal plates.

3. How to apply
Please send messages through the following websites.
English site: http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/index.html
Japanese site: http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/index.html

Your names and messages will be recorded and printed.
We are looking forward to hearing from many of you.

snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lrkellogg
Google Wave: larry.kellogg@googlewave.com
Google Wave Invite info:
http://www.googlewaveinvite.com/category/google-wave-news/
https://wave.google.com/wave/
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

============================================