On May 26, 1983, the European Space Agency launched its first X-ray observatory. This spacecraft exhaust set It was named as an abbreviation of European satellite of X-ray observatory.
The mission was entirely dedicated to studying the universe with an exclusive view of X-ray radiation.
The human eye cannot see light in X-ray wavelengths. By searching for X-rays with satellites and telescopes, astronomers can find and study energetic sources of radiation. These sources include supernovae, active galactic nuclei, galaxy clusters, black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, and binary stars.
Exo Set was launched by a Thor-Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket would place it in a highly unusual elliptical orbit that circles the Earth once every 90 hours. Therefore, the Exoset orbits the Earth once every four days. This time gives the satellite plenty of time to study the X-ray sources.
During the Exhaust mission, scientists made fifty changes to its original program that allowed for the study of serious X-ray sources. In order to be outside the radiation belts of the earth, the scientific instruments worked at an altitude above fifty thousand kilometers.
The telescope made several major discoveries during its three years in orbit. The most famous discovery is something called Quasi-periodic oscillation in X-ray binary stars Was. In other words, the X-ray light coming from the stars flickers intermittently with great precision like a ticking clock. ExoSat’s mission ended when the satellite de-orbited and burned up in the atmosphere.
