An international team of scientists have provided an unprecedented tally of elemental sulfur spread between the stars using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.<\/p>\n
Astronomers used X-rays from two\u00a0binary star systems<\/a>\u00a0to detect sulfur in the interstellar medium, the gas and dust found in the space between stars. It\u2019s the first direct measurement of both sulfur\u2019s gas and solid phases, a unique capability of X-ray spectroscopy, XRISM\u2019s (pronounced \u201ccrism\u201d) primary method of studying the cosmos.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSulfur is important for how cells function in our bodies here on Earth, but we still have a lot of questions about where it\u2019s found out in the universe,\u201d said L\u00eda Corrales, an assistant professor of astronomy at the\u00a0University of Michigan<\/a>\u00a0in Ann Arbor. \u201cSulfur can easily change from a gas to a solid and back again. The XRISM spacecraft provides the resolution and sensitivity we need to find it in both forms and learn more about where it might be hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n A paper about these results, led by Corrales,\u00a0published<\/a>\u00a0June 27 in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Watch to learn how the XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) satellite took an unprecedented look at our galaxy’s sulfur. XRISM is led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, along with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency).
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/p>\n