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The heliospheric hydrogen wall and astrospheres
Linsky, J. L.; Zank, G. P.; Wood, B. E. +2 more
Charge exchange processes in the outer heliosphere produce a population of hot hydrogen gas within the heliosphere, creating a "hydrogen wall" between the heliopause and bow shock. The heliospheric hydrogen wall scatters Lyα photons passing through it, producing a detectable absorption signature in observations of H I Lyα emission from nearby star…
Chandra observations of SNR 1987A
McCray, R.; Hasinger, G.; Garmire, G. P. +4 more
We report on the results of our monitoring program of the X-ray remnant of supernova 1987A with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We have performed two new observations during the Chandra Cycle 3 period, bringing the total to six monitoring observations over the past three years. These six observations provide a detailed time history of the birth of …
Physical structure of the local interstellar medium
Linsky, J. L.; Redfield, S.; Wood, B. E.
The physical structure and morphology of the interstellar medium that surrounds our solar system directly effects the heliosphere and the interplanetary environment. High resolution ultraviolet absorption spectra of nearby stars and the intervening interstellar medium, observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, provide important information about the…
Properties of the isolated neutron star RX J185635-3754
Burwitz, V.; Neuhäuser, R.; Pons, J. A. +5 more
Despite improved observational capabilities, the surface properties of neutron stars remain uncertain. In principle, multiwavelength spectra can reveal their compositions and angular diameters and constrain the interior equation of state. The Chandra LETG spectrum of the brightest isolated neutron star is a featureless continuum. The X-ray blackbo…
Deep surveys of the obscured universe: GOODS
Chatzichristou, E. T.; Goods Team
Astronomy in the next decade will be dominated by multi-wavelength surveys which address a wide variety of scientific issues including galaxy formation and evolution, AGN structure and demographics and galactic structure. The great observatories origins deep survey (GOODS) is a deep multi-wavelength public survey of two of the deepest fields ever …
HST and VLT observations of isolated neutron stars
Caraveo, P. A.; de Luca, A.; Mignani, R. P. +1 more
New results of optical observations of isolated pulsars and their environments are presented. Very Large Telescopes observations of PSR J0108-1431 set an upper limit of B~=28.6 on its optical flux, implying a neutron star surface temperature T<8.8×104 K (for d=200 pc, R∞=13 km). HST proper motion measurement of the PSR 192…
Highlights from HST/NICMOS
Schneider, G.
The near-infrared camera and multi-object spectrometer (NICMOS) was installed in the Hubble Space Telescope in February 1997. After 22 months of operation the 110 kg supply of solid N 2, which cooled the NICMOS-3 HgCdTe detectors, was exhausted. The cryostat warmed up leaving the instrument in an electromechanically functional, but scie…
Measuring the matter distribution within z = 0.2 cluster lenses with XMM-Newton
Smail, I.; Kneib, J. P.; Czoske, O. +4 more
We present an analysis of seven clusters observed by XMM-Newton as part of our survey of 17 most X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies at z ∼ 0.2 selected for a comprehensive and unbiased study of the mass distribution in massive clusters. Using the public software FTOOLS and XMMSAS we have set up an automated pipeline to reduce the EPIC MOS and pn …
A survey of radio jets with Chandra and HST
Sambruna, Rita M.
Relativistic jets are a common property of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Understanding jet physical properties is an essential precursor to understanding the mechanisms of energy transport, and ultimately, how energy is extracted from the central black hole. In this paper, I highlight recent developments from Chandra and HST observation…