Cosmic Fireworks: Einstein Probe Lights Up the X-Ray Sky

Get ready to be wowed: nearly two years since its January 2024 launch, China’s Einstein Probe (EP) is serving up cosmic fireworks in the X-ray sky 🎆🔭. Led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), this mission is uncovering explosive celestial shows that were once too fleeting or faint to catch.

Teaming up with the European Space Agency, Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, and France’s CNES, EP uses two X-ray telescopes to spot and study these fleeting events. The Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) watches a huge swath of the sky in one shot, while the Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT) zooms in for precise details.

In October 2024, EP spotted EP241021a: a rare X-ray burst that lasted over 40 days – like a firework in slow motion. Accompanied by a relativistic jet, this event could be a star being torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole or a unique core-collapse explosion. “These findings give us fresh clues about catastrophic blasts and jet launches,” says Shu Xinwen of Anhui Normal University.

In September 2024, EP captured an ultra-faint X-ray flash, EP240904a, right in our galaxy. About 100 times dimmer than typical black hole eruptions, it had stayed hidden—until now. By tracking its X-ray “heartbeat” and radio/infrared signals, scientists think this is a new black hole candidate. “EP is opening a window on the Milky Way’s silent black hole population,” notes Cheng Huaqing at NAOC.

In August 2024, EP240801a was flagged by EP’s onboard system, triggering an instant FXT follow-up. A joint analysis with NASA’s Fermi satellite revealed a super-soft X-ray flash—an explosion dominated by low-energy X-rays. This rare find expands our understanding of gamma-ray bursts and core-collapse events. “EP’s autonomous discovery-to-follow-up is a game changer,” says Xu Dong of NAOC.

With its lobster-eye optics and rapid-response design, the Einstein Probe is proving to be a powerhouse for time-domain X-ray astronomy. As it continues to scan the sky, who knows what cosmic surprises lie ahead? Keep your eyes on the stars! 🌟🚀

Reference(s):

Chinese satellite reveals mysterious cosmic 'fireworks'

cgtn.com