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 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, was launched on September 7, 2023. Its advanced imaging filters and spectrometers were designed to study black holes and neutron stars and detect hot plasma in the intergalactic medium. Alongside the European Space Agency’s (ESA) X-ray Newton Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) and NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), XRISM provided the sharpest X-ray spectrum ever for the iconic MCG-6-30-15.