Exploring the Universe: NASA's Gamma Ray Missions in 2023
For the first time ever, NASA will launch two missions in the same year to explore the universe using gamma rays. On April 20th, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida and the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Both missions will be exploring the universe in new ways and will have the potential to make exciting new discoveries. IXPE is designed to measure polarized X-ray light from cosmic sources, and SPHEREx will map the entire sky in infrared light. With these two missions, scientists will be able to study the most violent and energetic objects in the universe, such as black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae. We can’t wait to see what new discoveries NASA will make this year!
source: Phys.org