Roscosmos presented five visualizations of distant cosmic objects studied by the Russian ART-XC telescope named after M. N. Pavlinsky. Among them are a black hole pulling matter from a neighboring star, a rapidly rotating neutron star, a supernova explosion, and a distant quasar. The images were prepared based on observations and calculations by scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The series includes five objects with different physical properties. The first is the binary system Swift J1727.8−1613, in which a black hole draws matter from a companion star. The gas forms a hot accretion disk around it and emits energy.
The second object is SRGA J144459.2−604207, a millisecond X-ray pulsar. This is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits X-rays. The ART-XC telescope discovered it in 2024.
The third object is supernova SN 2023ixf in galaxy M101. Observations allowed for the study of the early stages of the star's explosion.
The fourth visualization is dedicated to the quasar SRGA J230631.0+155633. At the center of this system is a supermassive black hole surrounded by a hot accretion disk and a dense cloud of gas and dust. The object itself previously attracted the attention of scientists due to its X-ray characteristics.
The fifth object is Hercules X-1, one of the well-known X-ray binary systems in our Galaxy. In it, matter from a normal star falls onto a neutron star. This process is accompanied by powerful X-ray emission.
Roscosmos presented a visualization based on ART-XC SPEKTR RG X-ray telescope data
The ART-XC telescope is installed aboard the Spektr-RG space observatory. It studies the Universe in the hard X-ray energy range of 4–30 keV. Such observations allow for the study of processes near black holes and neutron stars that are difficult to investigate by other means.
According to the scientific director of the ART-XC project, Deputy Director of IKI RAN Alexander Lutovinov, the Russian team continues to develop technologies for manufacturing X-ray mirrors. The obtained data is available to scientists in Russia, including students and young researchers.
The project also has a practical direction. Scientists are studying the possibility of using pulsars for autonomous navigation of spacecraft. These neutron stars emit regular pulses of radiation that can serve as beacons. In the future, spacecraft will be able to determine their position in deep space without constant signal exchange with Earth.