Audio External content Interview

An optical system designed for the next X rays telescope

Conceção artística de um buraco negro supermassivo.

One of the goals of the Athena space telescope is to learn how black holes with millions, or billions of solar masses, shaped the formation of galaxies and the evolution of the Universe. Athena will be able to detect a significative number of these black holes in the early ages of the Universe.
Credits: ESO/L. Calçada.

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) will lead the development of a precision optical system for ESA‘s future space telescope dedicated to the study of extreme events in the Universe, the Athena X rays Observatory.

Manuel Abreu, of Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) and Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (Ciências ULisboa), talked to the national radio Antena 1 about this project led by IA and with the participation of the Portuguese industry.