ASCA EAO-6 Results
11 January 1999
The Japanese/US X-ray astronomy mission ASCA was launched in 1993.Its advanced detectors continue to provide high resolution spectra ofmany classes of astronomical objects.The long list of ASCA discoveriesinclude the detection of broad, heavily distorted, iron linesfrom some Active Galactic Nuclei. These red-shifted lines providedirect evidence for the presence of massive black holes at thecenters of these galaxies.In order to promote European-Japanese scientific cooperation and to maximize the scientific return of the mission, approximately 10% of the observing time is made available to observers from ESA member states. The Space Science Department of ESA is responsible for implementing this programme and helping select European proposals to be forwarded to the Institute for Space and Astronautical Sciences in Japan.
This year there were requests for almost three times as much observing time as was available, and 34 European targets from 20 different Principal Investigators were included in the ASCA Guest Investigator programme.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
