NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected a massive X-ray jet from quasar J1610+1811, 11.6 billion light-years away. The jet travels at nearly the speed of light, illuminating black hole behavior during the universe’s early era. However, Chandra now faces potential defunding under NASA’s proposed budget. Astronomers warn that cutting Chandra’s mission would cripple high-energy astrophysics, ending a 25-year legacy of breakthroughs. The loss would leave a major gap in our ability to study the most energetic phenomena in the universe. Scientists worldwide are urging to save this essential observatory.
