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X-ray Telescopes

Grazing angle mirrors focus only a small fraction of the X-ray photons incident on them. Thus, to increase the effective collecting area (thereby providing more X-rays to the final image), X-ray mirrors are nested inside one another. The X-rays then enter into the concentric annuli and are focused by the mirrors to the detector sitting behind them.

X-ray Mirrors

This photograph by Leon van Speybroeck shows technicians working on the Einstein Observatory's nested X-ray mirrors before launch.

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Last Updated: Monday, 27-Sep-2004 11:26:10 EDT