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X-rays.

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When you think of
X-rays,you might
think of broken bones.

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But here at NASA, X-rays
let us see so much more.

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Unlike taking an X-ray
of our skeleton,
which involves
projecting X-rays

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through our body,

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we look at X-rays naturally
emitted by things like stellar explosions.

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X-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum,

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the full spectrum of
energy waves that runs
from radio to gamma rays.

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In the middle of
the spectrum is
visible light,

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the rainbow of color
that human eyes can see. X-rays, emitted by hot gases

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throughout the universe,
are considerably
more energetic than
visible light waves.

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This means the
wavelengths
are quite small,

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so they slip right
between the atoms
of most objects,

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including the mirrors
we use in telescopes
to focus other kinds
of light.

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X-ray telescopes, like
those on Chandra and
JAXA's XRISM spacecraft,

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use specially-
designed mirrors

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set at a shallow angle
to minimize spaces
between the mirrors atoms.

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This allows X-rays to
bounce off the surface
of the mirror,

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like a rock skipping
off the surface of a pond.

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Studying X-rays will
help us unravel mysteries
of our universe,

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like the internal structure of neutron stars

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or near-light-speed jets from black holes.

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It's all about seeing
things in a different wavelength of light.