Nustar , the first space telescope capable of focusing high-energy X-rays from space and producing images at this wavelength, turns ten . And on the occasion, a large number of researchers from the National Institute of Astrophysics and from various universities , including that of Cagliari , met in the Sardinian capital for a large international meeting, scheduled until 22 June.
The meeting is under the guidance of Daniel Stern , Nustar Project Scientist who works at NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and Matteo Bachetti , INAF researcher from Cagliari who has worked extensively with Nustar playing an important role in calibration of on-board instruments.
After a postponement in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nustar Science Meeting 2022 takes place at the Doglio Theater, with 80 experts from all over the world plus another 40 connected via the web.
The program lasts three days : keynotes summarizing the status of the project alternate by the heads of the various working groups and presentations on individual results by the rest of the scientific community. The occasion is special, because the meeting falls exactly 10 years after the launch of the mission .
The most important scientific results of this decade will be discussed, with a look to the future : the coordination of Nustar with the upcoming missions, and the concept of the HEX-P space telescope, which in 10 years could take over the baton of Nustar and making high energy cosmic X-ray observation even easier and more effective.
The meeting will also be a unique opportunity to bring the international astronomical community together with Sardinian scientific and technological projects, including the Sardinia Radio Telescope of San Basilio, the Aerospace District, Sardegna Ricerche and the University.
(Unioneonline / vl)