X-RAY

X-rays have smaller wavelengths and

therefore higher energy than ultraviolet
waves. X-ray light tends to act more like a
particle than a wave. X-ray detectors
collect actual photons of X-ray light -
which is very different from the radio
telescopes that have large dishes designed
to focus radio waves!
X-rays were first observed and
documented in 1895 by Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen, a German scientist
who found them quite by accident
when experimenting with vacuum
tubes.
Roentgen took an X-ray
photograph of his wife's
hand which clearly
revealed her wedding ring
and her bones. Roentgen
called it "X" to indicate it
was an unknown type of
radiation.
The Earth's atmosphere is thick enough
that virtually no X-rays are able to
penetrate from outer space all the way to
the Earth's surface. This is good for us but
also bad for astronomy - we have to put X-
ray telescopes and detectors on satellites!
We cannot do X-ray astronomy from the
ground.
How do we "see" using X-ray light?
 What would it be like to see X-rays?
If we could see X-rays, we could see things
that either emit X-rays or halt their
transmission. Our eyes would be like the X-ray
film used in hospitals or dentist's offices. X-ray
film "sees" X-rays, like the ones that travel
through your skin. It also sees shadows left by
things that the X-rays can't travel through (like
bones or metal).
Because your bones and teeth are
dense and absorb more X-rays then
your skin does, silhouettes of your
bones or teeth are left on the X-ray
film while your skin appears
transparent.

When X-ray light shines on us, it

goes through our skin, but allows
shadows of our bones to be
projected onto and captured by
film.
What does X-ray light show us?
 To the left is the first picture
of the Earth in X-rays, taken
in March, 1996 with the
orbiting Polar satellite. The
area of brightest X-ray
emission is red.

The energetic charged particles from the Sun that cause

aurora also energize electrons in the Earth's
magnetosphere. These electrons move along the Earth's
magnetic field and eventually strike the Earth's
ionosphere, causing the X-ray emission.
Recently, we
learned that even
comets emit X-
rays! This image of
Comet Hyakutake
was taken by an X-
ray satellite.
The Sun also emits
X-rays - here is
what the Sun
looked like in X-
rays on April 27th,
2000. This image
was taken by the
Yokoh satellite.
This image is special - it
shows a supernova remnant -
the remnant of a star that
exploded in a nearby galaxy
known as the Small
Magellanic Cloud. The false-
colors show what this
supernova remnant looks
like in X-rays (in blue),
visible light (green) and
radio (red).