Scientists from Washington University in St. Louis pose with the XL-Calibur telescope during a recent testing excursion.
The 3,500-pound XL-Calibur device is held aloft by a crane. During its flight, a scientific balloon will carry the telescope 38,100 meters in the air, above 99.97% of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Research Alert
Newswise — Scientists from Washington University in St. Louis are preparing to launch a balloon-borne telescope to unlock the secrets of astrophysical black holes and neutron stars. XL-Calibur could be launched from Esrange Space Center in Sweden as early as Wed., May 29, according to Henric Krawczynski of WashU, who is leading a team of collaborators from the US, Japan and Sweden. The device measures the polarization of X-rays coming from black holes and other extreme objects in the universe. Read more.
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Credit: Richard Bose, Washington University in St. Louis
Caption: Scientists from Washington University in St. Louis pose with the XL-Calibur telescope during a recent testing excursion.
Credit: Richard Bose, Washington University in St. Louis
Caption: The 3,500-pound XL-Calibur device is held aloft by a crane. During its flight, a scientific balloon will carry the telescope 38,100 meters in the air, above 99.97% of the Earth’s atmosphere.
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