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2009 HEAPOW Collage
Credit: NASA; ESA; et al.


The High-Energy Year in Review

What a year 2009 was - at least from the perspective of high-energy astrophysics. The year presented a truly stunning number of advances in our understanding of some of the most exotic physical processes in the known Universe, led by the all-seeing eyes of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, which scans the entire sky roughly eight times per day to give an unprecedented view of black holes, pulsars and (possibly) unknown types of matter. The Chandra and the XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories both celebrated their first decade of discovery. The Swift Gamma-Ray hunter helped pinpoint the most distant object in the Universe. The Suzaku X-ray Observatory measured exciting quantities of heavy metals in intergalactic space. Through it all the Sun remained surprisingly inactive, although STEREO proved the reality of solar tsunamis, while IBEX defined the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. What excitements will 2010 bring?
Published: December 28, 2009

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Each week the HEASARC brings you new, exciting and beautiful images from X-ray and Gamma ray astronomy. Check back each week and be sure to check out the HEAPOW archive!
Page Author: Dr. Michael F. Corcoran
Last modified Monday, 26-Feb-2024 17:03:18 EST