X-ray spectra provide sharpest image to date of a rapidly spinning black hole

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a joint mission between the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, launched on Sept. 7th, 2023. Its advanced imaging filters and spectrometers were designed to study black holes and neutron stars and detect the hot plasma in the intergalactic medium. Alongside the European Space Agency’s (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton (XMM-Newton) and NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), XRISM has provided the sharpest-ever X-ray spectrum of the iconic MCG–6-30-15.