The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory
Credit:
The
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was the most massive instrument
ever
launched by a NASA Space Shuttle and continues to
revolutionize gamma-ray astronomy. This orbiting observatory sees the sky in
gamma-ray photons - light so blue humans can't see it. These photons
are blocked by the Earth's atmosphere from reaching the Earth's surface.
Results from CGRO
have shown the entire universe to be a violent and rapidly changing place
- when viewed in gamma-rays. Astronomers using CGRO data continue to
make monumental discoveries, including
showing that mysterious flashes
of gamma-rays are much more powerful than previously imagined,
discovery of a whole new class of QSO, and
discovery of objects so
strange that astronomers can't yet figure out what they are.