Roscosmos has released visualizations of celestial objects observed by the ART-XC X-ray telescope. The instrument is part of the Spektr-RG space observatory, currently positioned at the L2 Lagrange point, roughly 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
The telescope has completed eight full sky surveys to date. Among the observed objects are the Swift J1727.8−1613 binary system containing a black hole, the SRGA J144459.2−604207 millisecond pulsar, and the SN 2023ixf supernova in the M101 galaxy.
The agency also highlighted the Hercules X-1 binary system and the distant quasar SRGA J230631.0+155633. These observations provide data on accretion processes and high-energy phenomena in the universe.
A key objective for the ART-XC project is testing autonomous navigation for spacecraft. By utilizing signals from isolated pulsars as navigational beacons, future missions could determine their position in deep space without continuous ground contact.
