NASA IXPE and James Webb Telescope Uncover Cosmic Mysteries

NASA's IXPE, or Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, has made significant strides in uncovering cosmic mysteries by identifying the origin of X-rays in a supermassive black hole's jet. This research, detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, focused on 3C 84, an active galaxy in the Perseus Cluster, and demonstrated that the X-rays originated from a process known as inverse Compton scattering.

IXPE recorded a net polarization of 4% in the X-ray spectrum, confirming that the seed photons came from the same jet as the higher-energy particles, thus favoring the synchrotron self-Compton model. Meanwhile, the James Webb Space Telescope has potentially discovered the earliest known supernova, associated with a gamma-ray burst named GRB 250314A, which occurred when the universe was just 730 million years old.

This groundbreaking finding adds to our understanding of stellar evolution in the early universe. Researchers believe this supernova could provide insights into the nature of early stars, as its properties suggest similarities to more modern supernovae.

Follow-up observations are planned to further analyze the contributions of the supernova, the afterglow, and the host galaxy. These discoveries from IXPE and JWST highlight critical advancements in astrophysics and cosmology, enhancing our understanding of black holes and supernovae, which are essential for the field.