We’re sending a new pair of X-ray eyes into the universe!
NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is our first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays. Polarized light is made up of electric fields that vibrate in a single direction—and IXPE’s state-of-the-art X-ray vision will help scientists study the spin of black holes, the magnetic fields of pulsars, and other cosmic phenomena.
IXPE is targeted to launch at 1:00 a.m. EST, Dec. 9 (06:00 UTC), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Learn more about the mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/ixpe
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