Image Gallery; General Images
Images on this page:Constellation-X Spacecraft Images
Click image for larger view.
Download: 916 kb jpeg
Click image for larger view.
Download: 20 kb jpeg^ Back to the top
Constellation-X Characteristics and Simulation Plots
The effective area of Constellation-X for high resolution spectroscopy is a factor of 100 times larger than the XMM-Newton gratings (0.6-2.0 keV) or the Chandra gratings (0.25-10 keV).
Click image for larger view.
Download: 48 kb jpeg
A Constellation-X simulation of an 80,000 s exposure of AR Lac illustrates key helium-like transitions that will be used to determine plasma density and temperature. Clearly resolved in all cases are the resonance, forbidden, and intercombination lines. The Fe XXV simulation utilizes the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) while the others utilize an example implementation of the X-ray Grating Spectrometer (XGS).
Click image for larger view.
Download: 120 kb jpeg
Simulations of helium-like iron (Fe XXV) emission from a ~ 20 million degree plasma. The top panel shows the spectrum from the Constellation-X calorimeter, which is currently under development. The bottom panel shows the simulated spectrum from the Suzaku XRS. The crosses indicate the statistical uncertainties for the observed counts in each individual energy bin. The Suzaku calorimeter provides a major advance over current capabilities and will resolve the resonance line from its satellites for the first time. The Constellation-X calorimeter will resolve the entire satellite complex with a resolution similar to that currently used to observe the Sun. Note also the increased throughput of the Constellation-X system.
Click image for larger view.
Download: 88 kb jpeg
This combined ASCA and Ginga spectrum (the observations were not simultaneous) of the Seyfert II galaxy NGC 4945 illustrates the need for the hard X-ray telescope. The continuum source is heavily absorbed, probably by an optically-thick torus, and is only seen above 10 keV, exactly where telescopes like Chandra and XMM cut off. At lower energies, only emission scattered around the torus is seen. Constellation-X will for the first time be able to measure the underlying continuum and the scattering component simultaneously. This will enable the total energy output to be determined. By observing a large sample of such systems, the overall accretion geometry of AGN should be revealed. Observations will be possible for systems that are a factor of 100 times fainter than NGC 4945, thereby covering a wide range of luminosity and redshift.
Click image for larger view.
Download: 192 kb jpeg^ Back to the top
Constellation-X Banner
Banner used for Constellation-X posters
Click image for larger view.
Download: 592 kb jpeg, 9.3 Mb tiff, 6.7 Mb pdf
