What is X-ray Astronomy?
X-ray astronomy is the study of the astronomical objects that emit
X-rays. It gives as a very different picture of the universe
from when you see the night sky in visible light!
X-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. They have higher
energy than visible light. Astronomers usually use the kilo-electron
volt (keV) to measure X-ray energies. 1 keV is 100 electron volt, or
1 eV. Suzaku can detect X-rays from about 0.2 keV to 600 keV.
Visible light has about 2 to 3 eV in each photon.
We need to study X-rays with satellites in space because if we try to
study them on the ground, Earth's atmosphere absorbs almost all X-ray
radiation before we can detect it.
X-rays can give us important information about many types of
objects. For more about X-ray astronomy, see:
