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Astronomy Black Holes ESA ISS International Space Station

NICER Telescope Takes a Break: NASA's X-Ray Vision on Pause

The NICER X-ray telescope on the ISS is offline due to a motor glitch, stalling its important work studying neutron stars and black holes. NASA engineers are on the case, but it's unclear when operations will resume. This latest hiccup follows previous challenges with the telescope's thermal shields. Find out how this impacts space research and what it means for future Mars missions.

Jun 25

NICER Telescope Takes a Break: NASA's X-Ray Vision on Pause

NASA's NICER Unravels Cosmic Mysteries with Record-Breaking QPE Discovery!

Discover how NASA's NICER aboard the ISS unveiled the most energetic quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) near a supermassive black hole known as Ansky. Explore the implications for future space missions and multimessenger astronomy!

May 6

NASA's NICER Unravels Cosmic Mysteries with Record-Breaking QPE Discovery!

NASA's NICER Unveils Record-Breaking X-ray Outbursts near Black Hole 'Ansky'

Astronomers have harnessed data from NASA's NICER to reveal astonishing X-ray outbursts, or quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs), from a supermassive black hole. Nicknamed 'Ansky,' this newly discovered source showcases the most energetic and prolonged cosmic fireworks ever recorded, repeating every 4.5 days with each burst lasting 1.5 days. This discovery offers unprecedented insights into the behaviors of objects consumed by black holes, pushing forward the frontiers of multimessenger astronomy.

May 6

NASA's NICER Unveils Record-Breaking X-ray Outbursts near Black Hole 'Ansky'

NASA's NICER X-ray Telescope Gets a Stellar Fix!

NASA astronaut Nick Hague is set to perform a spacewalk on January 16, 2025, to repair the NICER X-ray telescope on the ISS. This mission marks the first on-orbit repair of a NASA observatory since the 2009 Hubble servicing. The repair involves patching up thermal shields damaged in May 2023, which caused a 'light leak' hampering NICER's ability to study celestial objects like neutron stars and black holes. Astronauts have been gearing up for this mission with practice sessions at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

Jan 9

NASA's NICER X-ray Telescope Gets a Stellar Fix!