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25 years of groundbreaking discoveries with Chandra

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Abstract

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a mainstay of modern observational astrophysics. With the highest angular resolution of any X-ray facility, its imaging and spectral capabilities in the 0.5–10 keV band have led to both unique and complementary breakthroughs in nearly all areas of the field. Now, more than a quarter of a century into its mission, Chandra continues to provide invaluable information on the contributions of compact objects to the evolution of galaxies, the nature of supernova explosions, the impact of energetic jets from supermassive black holes on their host environments and the fate of exoplanet atmospheres in systems rich with stellar flares. Here we provide a summary of Chandra results—one that is embarrassingly incomplete, but representative of both the exquisite past and promising future of Chandra’s contributions to high-energy astrophysics and all of mainstream astronomy.

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Fig. 1: Chandra studies of stellar systems and X-ray binaries.
Fig. 2: Chandra imaging of the aftermath of stellar explosions.
Fig. 3: Chandra resolves the X-ray sky from deep fields to nearby galaxies into discrete sources while separating it from the truly diffuse galactic emission.
Fig. 4: Chandra observations of galaxy clusters transformed our understanding of dark matter, the gas physics of the ICM and the emergence of the first SMBHs.
Fig. 5: Chandra observations of galaxy clusters independently confirm cosmic acceleration and constrain the dark energy equation of state.
Fig. 6: Chandra investigations of planets within the Solar System and beyond.

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Acknowledgements

P.S. and Á.B. acknowledge support from NASA contract number NAS8-03060.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Patrick Slane & Ákos Bogdán

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA

    David Pooley

  3. Eureka Scientific Inc., Oakland, CA, USA

    David Pooley

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  1. Patrick Slane
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  2. Ákos Bogdán
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  3. David Pooley
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P.S., Á.B. and D.P. devised the concept and structure of the Review.

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Slane, P., Bogdán, Á. & Pooley, D. 25 years of groundbreaking discoveries with Chandra. Nat Astron (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02675-8

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