NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

The explosion, called Tycho, was visible to people on Earth in 1572, and the shock wave from the blast is still propagating through the cosmos.

Tycho is classified as a Type Ia supernova, which occurs when a white dwarf star shreds its companion star, triggering a violent explosion and sending debris hurtling into space at tremendous speeds.
- Tycho released as much energy as the Sun would emit over ten billion years and blasted particles out into space near the speed of light.
Researchers used IXPE to reveal the magnetic field geometry close to Tycho’s shock wave to investigate further how particles are accelerated there and to study polarised X-rays from the supernova remnant.

About:
- IXPE Space Observatory is a joint effort of NASA and the Italian Space Agency.
- It studies “the most extreme and mysterious objects in the universe – supernova remnants, supermassive black holes, and dozens of other high-energy objects.”
Significance:
- It will help observe polarised X-rays from neutron stars and supermassive black holes.
  - Measuring the polarization of X-rays traces the story of where the light came from, including the geometry and inner workings of its source.
- It will help scientists understand how black holes spin and their location in the past and also unravel how pulsars shine so brightly in X-rays.

Q. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? (2014)

	Spacecraft	Purpose
1.	Cassini-Huygens	Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2.	Messenger	Mapping and investigating the Mercury
3.	Voyager 1 and 2	Exploring the outer solar system

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)

Source:DTE

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