List of X-ray space telescopes

X-ray telescopes are designed to observe the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum. X-rays from outer space cannot be observed from the ground due to absorption by the atmosphere, and so x-ray telescopes must be launched into orbit. Their mirrors require a very low angle of reflection (typically 10 arc-minutes to 2 degrees).^[1] These are called glancing (or grazing) incidence mirrors. In 1952, Hans Wolter outlined three ways a telescope could be built using only this kind of mirror.^[2][3]

Space-borne observatories and instruments[]

This list contains space-borne observatories as well as X-ray instruments as part of a larger mission, both past, present and in the proposal stage.

High-altitude atmospheric observatories and instruments[]

Sometimes X-Ray observations are made from a near-space environment on sounding rockets or high-altitude balloons.

• Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope (series of sounding rocket payloads, flown in the late 1980s and 1990s)

• Multi-spectral solar telescope array (MSSTA) (series of sounding rocket payloads, flown in the 1990s and early 2000s)

• Polarised Gamma-ray Observer (PoGOLite) (balloon-borne astroparticle physics experiment, flown 2011-2013)

Gallery[]

• 

  Skylab S-54 instrument, an X-ray telescope

• 

  Chandra (AXAF) checks out a pulsar with its focusing X-ray optics

• 

  NuStar's lens for focusing X-rays

• 

  Wolter telescopes of Types I, II, and III

See also[]

• List of telescope types
• Lists of telescopes
• Calorimetric Electron Telescope (telescope type)
• Cosmic-ray observatory (mission type)
• Phase-contrast X-ray imaging (general term)
• Wolter telescope (telescope type)
• X-ray astronomy satellite (mission type)
• X-ray spectroscopy (general term)
• Lists of spacecraft

References[]

External links[]

• Comparison with of X-ray satellites
• Comparison of XMM-Newton EPIC, Chandra ACIS-S3, ASCA SIS and GIS, and ROSAT PSPC Results for G21.5-0.9, 1E0102.2-7219, and MS1-54.4-0321