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AUDIO:
The heart of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility is the high resolution mirror assembly. In a conventional large astronomical telescope, gathered light is focused by a high angle of reflection. Higher energy X-rays directly striking even a highly reflective surface can easily pass through or be absorbed by most materials. To gather and focus X-rays AXAF uses a grazing incidence mirror assembly, a technology successfully pioneered in space by the Einstein Observatory, HEAO2.
VIDEO:
This videos shows an artist concept of AXAF in space. It zooms in to show the mirror assembly. Then it shows a cross section of the grazing incidence mirror.
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