Discover the cosmos!
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2008 August 28
Fermi's First Light Credit: NASA,
DOE,
International LAT
Team
Explanation: Launched
on June 11 to explore the universe at extreme energies,
the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope has been
officially renamed the
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, in
honor of Nobel Laureate
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), pioneer
in high-energy physics.
After testing, Fermi's
two instruments,
the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and the Large Area Telescope (LAT),
are now regularly returning data.
Fermi's first map of the
gamma-ray
sky from the LAT is shown in this false-color image, an
all-sky view that looks toward the center of our
Milky Way Galaxy
with the galactic plane projected across the middle.
What shines in the gamma-ray sky?
Along the galactic plane, energetic cosmic rays collide with gas
and dust to produce the diffuse gamma-ray glow.
Strong emission from spinning neutron stars or
pulsars,
and distant
active
galaxies known as blazars, can be identified by
placing your cursor over the map.
A prelude
to future discoveries,
the remarkable result combines only 4 days of observations,
equivalent to a year of observations with the
Compton
Gamma-ray Observatory mission of the 1990s.
In addition to the ability to monitor
gamma-ray bursts,
the greatly improved sensitivity will allow Fermi to look deeper
into the high-energy Universe.
