Chandra X-ray Observatory

space telescope · X-rays · astronomy

Sees invisible light. Chandra detects X-rays, which are invisible to our eyes and get blocked by Earth's atmosphere. That's why it has to orbit in space to see them.

Launched in 1999. Chandra blasted off aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, and it's still working and sending back discoveries today.

Super sharp vision. Chandra can see X-ray sources 100 times fainter than any telescope before it, thanks to its specially designed mirrors that focus X-rays with incredible precision.

High orbit observer. Instead of staying near Earth, Chandra travels in a huge 64-hour orbit that takes it very far out into space, which helps it avoid Earth's interference.

Named after a genius. The telescope is named after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, an Indian-American scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his work understanding stars and space.