(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 15 - The IXPE space telescope which Italy helped to create with NASA has sent back its first image of the most far-off phenomena in the universe.
    IXPE, which stands for Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, honed its X-ray gaze on Cassiopea A, a celestial object made up of the remains of a star that explode in the 17th century.
    The Italian Space Agency, which is involved in the project with the National Astrophysics Institute (INAF) and the National Nuclear Physics Institute (INFN), said the image was "spectacular".
    IXPE is a space observatory with three identical telescopes designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays of black holes, neutron stars, and pulsars.
    The observatory, which was launched 9 December 2021, is an international collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
    It is part of NASA's Explorers program, which designs low cost spacecraft to study heliophysics and astrophysics.
    The mission will study exotic astronomical objects and permit mapping the magnetic fields of black holes, neutron stars, pulsars, supernova remnants, magnetars, quasars, and active galactic nuclei.
    The high-energy X-ray radiation from these objects' surrounding environment can be polarized - vibrating in a particular direction.
    Studying the polarization of X-rays reveals the physics of these objects and can provide insights into the high-temperature environments where they are created. (ANSA).