Astronomers Detect Eleven New Active Galactic Nuclei

About the Spektr-RG (SRG):

• Spektr-RG (Spektr-Rentgen-Gamma, SRG) is a Russian–German high-energy astrophysics space observatory designed to study the universe in the X-ray range of the electromagnetic spectrum. (with contributions from NASA and several European institutes)
• It was launched on July 13, 2019, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on a Proton-M rocket.
• The observatory is operational and actively conducting its all-sky X-ray survey.
  • It orbits around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, about 1.5 million km from Earth, allowing stable and uninterrupted observations.

• SRG carries two unique X-ray telescopes:
  • eROSITA (Germany): Specializes in soft X-ray surveys.
  • ART-XC (Russia): Focuses on higher-energy X-rays.

Aims and Objectives of the Mission:

• To perform an all-sky survey in the X-ray energy band (0.3–11 keV) with unprecedented sensitivity.
• To map and study massive structures in the universe, including galaxy clusters, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), supermassive black holes, and other energetic phenomena.
• To answer key questions in cosmology, such as the role of dark energy and dark matter in the formation of large-scale cosmic structures.
• To detect and catalog about 100,000 galaxy clusters and around three million supermassive black holes in AGNs over the mission duration.

PYQ Significance:

Mains:

Q. Launched on 25 th December, 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor Space Telescopes? What are the key goals of this mission? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race? (UPSC CSE 2022)