The Ginga Satellite
Astro-C, renamed Ginga (Japanese for 'galaxy'), was launched from the Kagoshima Space Center on 5 February 1987. The primary instrument for observations was the Large Area Counter (LAC). Ginga was the third Japanese X-ray astronomy mission, following Hakucho and Tenma. Ginga reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 1 November 1991.
Mission Characteristics
Lifetime : February 5, 1987 - November 1, 1991Energy Range : 1 - 500 keV
Payload :
- Large Area Proportional Counter (LAC) 1.5-37 keV
Eff. area = 4000 cm2, FOV = 0.8° x 1.7° - All-Sky Monitor (ASM) 1-20 keV
Eff. area = 70 cm2, FOV = 1° x 180° - Gamma-Ray Burst Detector (GBD) 1.5-500 keV
Eff. area = 60 cm2 (SC) and 63 cm2 (PC), FOV = All-sky
- Discovery of transient Black Hole Candidates and study of their spectral evolution.
- Discovery of weak transients in the galactic ridge.
- Detection of cyclotron features in 3 X-ray pulsars: 4U1538-522, V0332+53, and Cep X-4.
- Evidence for emission and absorption Fe feature in Seyfert probing reprocessing by cold matter.
- Discovery of intense 6-7 keV iron line emission from the galactic center region.
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Last modified: Thursday, 26-Jun-2003 13:48:53 EDT