A novel "lobster eye" telescope aboard a small Chinese satellite has delivered its first images, paving the way for more complex future missions using its technology.
"These are truly wide-field X-ray images of celestial bodies observed, for the first time, by a focusing imaging telescope," researchers wrote in the paper.
Related: Iconic James Webb Space Telescope images get X-ray vision boost.
"The results provide a solid basis for the development of the present and proposed wide-field X-ray missions using lobster eye micro-pore optics," the authors wrote.
— 1st image from NASA's new IXPE X-ray telescope looks like a ball of purple lightning.
— Giant ghostly 'hand' stretches through space in new X-ray views .
The Einstein Probe's Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) will consist of 12 LEIA modules, giving the telescope a field of view of 3,600 square degrees.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more.
He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter @AJ_FI (opens in new tab).
USA
UK
France
Germany
Russia
India
Canada