DQ Tau
X-ray Superflares in Young Binary System DQ Tau
This illustration depicts X-ray superflares in the DQ Tau binary system. In the picture, brilliant coronal loops of hot plasma emerge from each young star, following their strong magnetic fields. These loops are thought to extend up to 10 times the radii of their host stars, vastly larger than...
M101
M101 Mosaic
Only four days after the explosion, NuSTAR observed the nearby core-collapse supernova SN2023ixf in M101, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy. The NuSTAR X-ray data (green) shows the X-ray detection over of the supernova. The X-ray data are overlaid on an archival optical image (NOIRLab/KPNO,...
Gamma-Ray Burst Jet Illustration
A jet of particles pierces a star as it collapses into a black hole during a typical gamma-ray burst, as depicted in this artist’s concept. The jet created by gamma-ray burst 221009A had some unique features
M82 X-2
Ultra-luminous X-ray Source with Magnetic Fields
In this illustration of an ultra-luminous X-ray source, two rivers of hot gas are pulled onto the surface of a neutron star. Strong magnetic fields, shown in green, may change the interaction of matter and light near neutron stars’ surface, increasing how bright they can become.
M82 X-2
Ultra-luminous X-ray Source
In this illustration of an ultra-luminous X-ray source, two rivers of hot gas are pulled onto the surface of a neutron star. Strong magnetic fields, may change the interaction of matter and light near neutron stars’ surface, increasing how bright they can become.
A Black Hole Destroys a Star
A disk of hot gas swirls around a black hole in this illustration. The stream of gas stretching to the right is what remains of a star that was pulled apart by the black hole. A cloud of hot plasma (gas atoms with their electrons stripped away) above the black hole is known as a corona.
NuSTAR Celebrates 10 Years of Operations
After a decade of operation, NuSTAR continues to open new horizons, discover fascinating objects, and expand our knowledge of the Universe.
NuSTAR conference, June 2022
Ten Years of High-Energy Universe in Focus - NuSTAR 2022 - Cagliari, Italy - June 20-22, 2022
G11.2-0.2
Hard X-ray Observations of the Pulsar Wind Nebula G11.2-0.3
Researchers use NuSTAR’s ability to focus X-rays to study high-energy emission from the pulsar wind nebula G11.2-0.3 and the young pulsar PSR J1811-1925 powering it.
30 Doradus C
Particle Acceleration in the 30 Doradus C Superbubble
Using NuSTAR, researchers find that the 30 Dor C superbubble is an efficient particle accelerator, with the hard X-ray emission arising from electrons with up to 100 TeV energies.
Highly Magnetic Neutron Star
This illustration shows magnetic field lines protruding from a highly magnetic neutron star, or a dense nugget left over after a star goes supernova and explodes. Known as magnetars, these objects generate bright bursts of light that might be powered by their strong magnetic fields.
X-ray Emitting Binaries
Artists concept of a neutron star (the bright white star) surrounded by an accretion disk of material that it has stripped of its low-mass companion star (top left). This material shines in X-rays as it falls onto the neutron star during "outbursts" of extremely bright X-ray activity.
Fireworks Galaxy
NASA Telescope Spots Mystery in Fireworks Galaxy
This visible-light image of the Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) comes from the Digital Sky Survey, and is overlaid with data from NASA's NuSTAR observatory.
Whirlpool Galaxy
A Hard X-ray Look at M51
Bright green sources of high-energy X-ray light captured by NASA's NuSTAR mission are overlaid on an optical-light image of the Whirlpool galaxy (the spiral in the center of the image) and its companion galaxy, M51b (the bright greenish-white spot above the Whirlpool), taken by the Sloan Digital...
Eta Carinae
Eta Carinae
The NuSTAR detection shows that shock waves in the wind collision zone accelerate charged particles like electrons and protons to near the speed of light. Some of these may reach Earth, where they will be detected as cosmic ray particles. X-rays scattered by debris ejected in Eta Carinae's famous...
Black Hole With Jet
This artist's concept shows a black hole with an accretion disk -- a flat structure of material orbiting the black hole - and a jet of hot gas, called plasma.
Growing Supermassive Black Holes
This illustration compares growing supermassive black holes in two different kinds of galaxies.
Andromeda
Pulsar Candidate in Andromeda
NuSTAR, has identified a candidate pulsar in Andromeda -- the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. This likely pulsar is brighter at high energies than the Andromeda galaxy's entire black hole population.
MXB 1730-335
The Rapid Burster
These four images show an artist's impression of gas accreting onto the neutron star in the binary system MXB 1730-335, also known as the "Rapid Burster."
NGC 7331
Supernova SN 2014C
This visible-light image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, where astronomers observed the unusual supernova SN 2014C .
NGC 7331
Supernova SN 2014C (X-ray)
This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, in a three-color X-ray image.
NGC 7331
Supernova SN 2014C (X-ray) (Annotated)
This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows spiral galaxy NGC 7331, center, in a three-color X-ray image.
IC 3639
Galaxy IC 3639 with Obscured Active Galactic Nucleus
IC 3639, a galaxy with an active galactic nucleus, is seen in this image combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory.
NGC 1448
Galaxy NGC 1448 with Active Galactic Nucleus
NGC 1448, a galaxy with an active galactic nucleus, is seen in this image combining data from the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey in the optical range and NuSTAR in the X-ray range.
A Black Hole 'Choir'
The blue dots in this field of galaxies, known as the COSMOS field, show galaxies that contain supermassive black holes emitting high-energy X-rays. The black holes were detected by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Array, or NuSTAR, which spotted 32 such black holes in this field and has observed...
Black Hole with 'Wobbling' Disk
This artist's impression depicts the accretion disc surrounding a black hole, in which the inner region of the disc precesses. "Precession" means that the orbit of material surrounding the black hole changes orientation around the central object.
Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda in High-Energy X-rays
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscope Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has imaged a swath of the Andromeda galaxy -- the nearest large galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy.
Andromeda Galaxy
NuSTAR's View of Andromeda
NuSTAR's view of Andromeda shows high-energy X-rays coming mostly from X-ray binaries, which are pairs of stars in which one "dead" member feeds off its companion.
Hidden Lair Illustration
Artist illustration of a supermassive black hole. This active black hole is one of the most obscured known, meaning that it is surrounded by extremely thick clouds of gas and dust.
Messier 77
NuSTAR's View of Galaxy NGC 1068
Galaxy NGC 1068 is shown in visible light and X-rays in this composite image. High-energy X-rays (magenta) captured by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are overlaid on visible-light images from both NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Messier 77
Hidden Lair at the Heart of Galaxy NGC 1068
Galaxy NGC 1068 can be seen in close-up in this view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. NuSTAR's high-energy X-rays eyes were able to obtain the best view yet into the hidden lair of the galaxy's central, supermassive black hole.
Markarian 335
Shifting Coronas Around Black Holes
A supermassive black hole is depicted in this artist's concept, surrounded by a swirling disk of material falling into it. The purplish ball of light above the black hole, a feature called the corona, contains highly energetic particles that generate X-ray light. If you could really view the...
Markarian 335
The Anatomy of a Black Hole Flare
This diagram shows how a shifting feature, called a corona, can create a flare of X-rays around a black hole. The corona (feature represented in purplish colors) gathers inward (left), becoming brighter, before shooting away from the black hole (middle and right). Astronomers don't know why the...
Sun
NuSTAR Stares at the Sun
Flaring, active regions of our sun are highlighted in this new image combining observations from several telescopes. High-energy X-rays from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) are shown in blue; low-energy X-rays from Japan's Hinode spacecraft are green; and extreme ultraviolet...
NuSTAR Seeks Hidden Black Holes
A color image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of one of the nine galaxies targeted by NuSTAR in search of hidden black holes. An artist's illustration of a supermassive black hole, actively feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of...
SN 1987A
Tracing Titanium's Escape
The plot of data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR (right), amounts to a "smoking gun" of evidence in the mystery of how massive stars explode. The observations indicate that supernovae belonging to a class called Type II or core-collapse blast apart in a lopsided...
SN 1987A
Hubble revisits an old friend
Supernova SN 1987A and its surroundings are seen in great detail in an image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Milky Way
Extra X-rays at the Hub of our Milky Way Galaxy
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has captured a new high-energy X-ray view (magenta) of the bustling center of our Milky Way galaxy. The smaller circle shows the area where the NuSTAR image was taken -- the very center of our galaxy, where a giant black hole resides.
Milky Way
High-Energy X-rays Fill Center of our Galaxy
This picture from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, NuSTAR, shows very center of our Milky Way galaxy. Scientists were surprised to find more high-energy X-rays than predicted in the surrounding regions, seen here as the elliptical haze.
How Black Hole Winds Blow
Supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies blast radiation and ultra-fast winds outward, as illustrated in this artist's conception.
The Answer Is Blowing in the Black Hole Wind
This plot of data from two space telescopes, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton determines for the first time the shape of ultra-fast winds from supermassive black holes, or quasars.
Arp 299
Tale of Two Black Holes
The real monster black hole is revealed in this new image from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of colliding galaxies Arp 299.
Arp 299
Tale of Two Black Holes [X-ray]
The new high-energy X-ray data reveal that the supermassive black hole in the galaxy on the right is indeed the hungry one, releasing energetic X-rays as it consumes gas.
Arp 299
Tale of Two Black Holes [Xray + Visible]
The new high-energy X-ray data reveal that the supermassive black hole in the galaxy on the right is indeed the hungry one, releasing energetic X-rays as it consumes gas.
Sol
Sun Shines in High-Energy X-rays
X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Sol
Sun Shines in High-Energy X-rays (full view)
X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Mass Chart for Dead Stars and Black Holes
This chart illustrates the relative masses of super-dense cosmic objects, ranging from white dwarfs to the supermassive black holes encased in the cores of most galaxies.
Cigar Galaxy
NuSTAR Finds a Pulse in Cigar Galaxy
High-energy X-rays streaming from a rare and mighty pulsar, the brightest found to date, can be seen in this new image combining multi-wavelength data from three telescopes.
Cigar Galaxy
Ultraluminous X-ray Sources in M82 Galaxy
This image shows the core of galaxy Messier 82 (M82), where two ultraluminous X-ray sources, or ULXs, reside (X-1 and X-2). ULXs are regions that shine intensely with X-rays.
Cigar Galaxy
NuSTAR Finds a Pulse in Cigar Galaxy
High-energy X-rays streaming from a rare and mighty pulsar, the brightest found to date, can be seen in this new image combining multi-wavelength data from three telescopes.
Galaxy in Different Lights
The galaxy Messier 82 (M82) is seen here in two different lights. A visible-light view from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is at left, and an X-ray view from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is at right. The comparison highlights how different the universe can look when viewed in other wavelengths...
HESS J1640-465
Powerful, Pulsating Core of Star
The blue dot in this image marks the spot of an energetic pulsar -- the magnetic, spinning core of star that blew up in a supernova explosion. NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, discovered the pulsar by identifying its telltale pulse -- a rotating beam of X-rays, that like a...
Big, Spinning Black Hole Blurs Light
This plot of data captured by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, shows X-ray light streaming from regions near a supermassive black hole known as Markarian 335.
Cassiopeia A
Adding a New "Color" to Palate of Cassiopeia A Images
NuSTAR is complementing previous observations of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant (red and green) by providing the first maps of radioactive material forged in the fiery explosion (blue).
Cassiopeia A
NuSTAR Data Point to Sloshing Supernovas
Two popular models describing how massive stars explode are shown in the top two panels. Each model calls for a different explosive trigger: either jets (left) or a sloshing effect referred to as mild asymmetries. NuSTAR is allowing researchers to test these models with actual data for the first...
Cassiopeia A
The Case of Missing Iron in Cassiopeia A
When astronomers first looked at images of a supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A, captured by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, they were shocked. The pattern of radioactive titanium observed by NuSTAR (right) does not match the pattern of heated iron seen by NASA's...
The Creation of Titanium in Stars
This diagram illustrates why NuSTAR can see radioactivity in the remains of exploded stars for the first time. The observatory detects high-energy X-ray photons that are released by a radioactive substance called titanium-44.
Cassiopeia A
Untangling the Remains of Cassiopeia A
This is the first map of radioactivity in a supernova remnant, the blown-out bits and pieces of a massive star that exploded. The blue color shows radioactive material mapped in high-energy X-rays using NuSTAR. Heated, non-radioactive elements previously imaged by Chandra using low-energy X-rays...
Cassiopeia A
Radioactive Core of a Dead Star
NuSTAR has, for the first time, imaged the radioactive "guts" of a supernova remnant, the leftover remains of a star that exploded. The NuSTAR data are blue, and show high-energy X-rays. Yellow shows non-radioactive material detected previously by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in low-energy...
Cassiopeia A
Evolution of a Supernova
These illustrations show the progression of a supernova blast. A massive star (left), which has created elements as heavy as iron in its interior, blows up in a tremendous explosion (middle), scattering its outer layers in a structure called a supernova remnant (right). The supernova explosion...