First Results from HaloSat
Abstract
HaloSat is the first CubeSat for astrophysics funded NASA's by Science Mission Directorate. HaloSat’s goal is measure the baryonic mass of the Milky Way's halo by performing an all-sky survey of line emission from highly ionized oxygen. This will help determine if hot halos with temperatures near a million degrees bound to galaxies make a significant contribution to the cosmological baryon budget. Halosat has CCD-like energy resolution and a large grasp that makes it competitive with major missions for observations of diffuse X-ray emission. HaloSat was deployed from the International Space Station in mid-July and began routine science operations in October. We present initial scientific results, including observations of the Cygnus loop and Crab Nebula that demonstrate instrument performance and selected high latitude regions.
- Publication:
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AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division
- Pub Date:
- March 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019HEAD...1720306K