HaloSat - A CubeSat to Study the Hot Galactic Halo
Abstract
Observations fail to locate about half of the baryons required in cosmology. One possible reservoir of missing baryons associated with our Milky Way galaxy is an extended halo of X-ray emitting gas at temperatures of several million degrees. We describe a CubeSat capable of measuring the oxygen line emission from the hot, Galactic halo. HaloSat will provide an unprecedented, all sky map of the emission lines of O VII and O VIII. This will improve our understanding of the quantity and distribution of hot gas in the Milky Way and also of solar wind charge exchange interactions within the solar system. The mission can be accomplished at modest cost.
- Publication:
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AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #14
- Pub Date:
- August 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014HEAD...1411621K