Astronomers discovered a peculiar object that could be a wandering black hole following a collision and merger of two galaxies.

Astronomers used data from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to observe a galaxy changing its classification twice within five years. The cause of this rare phenomenon is a starving Black Hole at the centre of the galaxy.

“Hot and Energetic Universe” the video that AHEAD produced for X-ray Astronomy is now being played in about 20 DOME theater centers around the world and is available in 3 languages (English, German and Japanese).

Astrophysicists used Chandra’s X-ray satellite to detect the most distant galaxy cluster ever observed. The galaxy is located about 11.1 billion light years from Earth.

HITOMI, the most sensitive X-ray satellite, was destroyed in March 2016, about a month after its launch. Despite its early destruction, HITOMI managed to perform significant science. The spacecraft observed the Perseus cluster, the brightest X-ray cluster in the sky, for three days. Analyzing the data, astronomers measured the motion of gas in the centre. Being able to measure gas motions is a major advance in understanding the dynamic behavior of galaxy clusters and its ties to cosmic evolution.

Astronomers used NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuStar) to pinpoint large numbers of black holes that emit high-energy X-rays. These new results will not only help scientists understand which are the physical mechanisms that feed the supermassive black holes, but also how their evolution affects the formation of the galaxies that host them.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Communications group is organizing an innovative project, named AstrOlympics that blends science and sports.

Astronomers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray satellite to study four old red dwarf stars. Their observations revealed a low rate of X-ray emission. The discovery has implications for understanding how the magnetic field in our Sun and similar stars are generated.

HITOMI, the most sensitive X-ray satellite was launched earlier this year, by JAXA, the Japanese space agency. About a month later the satellite failed due to a engineering error in its control system. Now JAXA, plans a successor mission that could be launched in 2020.

X-rays emitted from the black hole flicker following a pattern that lasts for a few months and then suddenly ends. The phenomenon is predicted by Einstein’s general relativity and now astronomers were able to measure it in such strong gravitational fields.