25 Years of Groundbreaking Discoveries with Chandra

TL;DR

This paper reviews 25 years of Chandra X-ray Observatory discoveries, highlighting its significant contributions to understanding compact objects, supernovae, black hole jets, and exoplanet atmospheres in high energy astrophysics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of Chandra's scientific achievements over 25 years, emphasizing its ongoing impact on astrophysics and astronomy.

Findings

Insights into the role of compact objects in galaxy evolution

Understanding supernova explosion mechanisms

Impact of black hole jets on their environments

Abstract

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a mainstay of modern observational astrophysics. With the highest angular resolution of any X-ray facility, its imaging and spectral capabilities in the 0.5-10 keV band have led to both unique and complementary breakthroughs in nearly all areas of the field. Now more than a quarter century into its mission, Chandra continues to provide unique information on the contributions of compact objects to the evolution of galaxies, the nature of supernova explosions, the impact of energetic jets from supermassive black holes on their host environments, and the fate of exoplanet atmospheres in systems rich with stellar flares. Here we provide a summary of Chandra results - one that is embarrassingly incomplete, but representative of both the exquisite past and promising future for Chandra's contributions to high energy astrophysics and all of mainstream astronomy.