The largest X-ray telescope

A cooperative project between the US Aerospace Agency (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will produce a X-ray telescope. The largest economy (IXO), helps provide new information about black holes and cosmic origins.

IXO telescope.

IXO has a "big" size, only the mirror surface is 1,300 m2 wide. This surface quality will be tested at the German Bundersanstalt Institute (PTB) with a monochromatic X-ray beam.

IXOs can capture X-ray radiation from very far black holes, because this type of radiation penetrates into cosmic dust - the most common obstacle occurring along the way. With this goal, the telescope mirror must be very large, but also ensure sufficient light.

Scientists hope that through IXO, about 3 million new black holes will be found. This will for the first time allow them to review the overall overview of the formation and development of supermassive black holes.

It will also provide new information about neutron stars and stellar black holes (the type of second black hole that forms when massive stars explode) .