The X-ray Timing Explorer
Explanation:
Launched
Saturday on a
Delta rocket, the
X-ray
Timing Explorer (XTE) will watch the sky for rapid changes in
X-rays.
XTE carries
three separate X-ray telescopes. The
Proportional
Counter Array (PCA) and the
High Energy
X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE) will provide the best
timing information in the widest X-ray energy range yet available. They
will observe
stellar systems that contain
black holes,
neutron stars, and
white dwarfs as well as study the
X-ray properties of the
centers of active
galaxies.
XTE's
All Sky
Monitor (ASM) will scan the sky every 90 minutes
to find new X-ray transients and track the variability of old ones. XTE has
a planned life time of two years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
