Complete transcript available.
Music Credits:Universal Production Music
Oxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\r
Jungle Bounce – by Siddharth Nadkarni
Silent Patient – by Paul Reeves \r
Background Story - by Peter Larsen\r
Data Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
", "items": [ { "id": 204467, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857563, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail.jpg", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 204469, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857731, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_searchweb.png", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 204470, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857732, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_thm.png", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Thumbnail_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 204465, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857782, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_1080.mp4", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_1080.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 204463, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857730, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_ProRes.mov", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_ProRes.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 204464, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857783, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_Best_4k.mp4", "filename": "Spectroscopy,_Explained_Final_Best_4k.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 204466, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857541, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy_Explained.mp4", "filename": "Spectroscopy_Explained.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 204468, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857564, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/Spectroscopy_Explained.webm", "filename": "Spectroscopy_Explained.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "pixels": 8294400 } }, { "id": 204471, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857820, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.srt", "filename": "SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 204472, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 857821, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012956/SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.vtt", "filename": "SpectroscopyExplainedAdjustedCaptions.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Video producer Sophia Roberts explains the basic principles behind spectroscopy, the science of reading light to determine the size, distance, spin and chemical composition of distant objects in space. Complete transcript available.Music Credits:Universal Production MusicOxygenate the Idea – by Amon Turner, Banksman, Eben Stone\rJungle Bounce – by Siddharth NadkarniSilent Patient – by Paul Reeves \rBackground Story - by Peter Larsen\rData Dynamism – by Florian Moenks and Aron Wright\r Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 311764, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12956/#media_group_311764", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/feature/2023/xrism-spacecraft-will-open-new-window-on-the-x-ray-cosmos](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/feature/2023/xrism-spacecraft-will-open-new-window-on-the-x-ray-cosmos)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Sophia Roberts", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Technical support", "people": [ { "name": "Aaron E. Lepsch", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Videographer", "people": [ { "name": "Rob Andreoli", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." }, { "name": "John D. Philyaw", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Editor", "people": [ { "name": "Sophia Roberts", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Jeanette Kazmierczak", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" } ] } ], "missions": [ "XRISM" ], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Black Hole", "Spectrometer", "Spectroscopy", "Spectrum", "XRISM" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14868, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14868/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "XRISM Satellite X-rays Milky Way’s Sulfur in Detail", "description": "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.Astronomers used X-rays from two binary star systems to detect sulfur in the interstellar medium, the gas and dust found in the space between stars. It’s the first direct measurement of both sulfur’s gas and solid phases, a unique capability of X-ray spectroscopy, XRISM’s (pronounced “crism”) primary method of studying the cosmos.Using ultraviolet light, researchers have found gaseous sulfur in the space between stars. In denser parts of the interstellar medium, such as the molecular clouds where stars and planets are born, this form of sulfur quickly disappears.Scientists assume the sulfur condenses into a solid, either by combining with ice or mixing with other elements.When a doctor performs an X-ray here on Earth, they place the patient between an X-ray source and a detector. Bone and tissue absorb different amounts of the light as it travels through the patient's body, creating contrast in the detector.Scientists did something similar by picking a portion of the interstellar medium with the right density — not so thin that all the X-rays would pass through unchanged, but also not so dense that they would all be absorbed.Then they selected a bright X-ray source behind that section of the medium, a binary star system called GX 340+0 located over 35,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Scorpius.Using the Resolve instrument on XRISM, the researchers were able to measure the energy of GX 340+0’s X-rays and determined that sulfur was present not only as a gas, but also as a solid, possibly mixed with iron.Iron-sulfur compounds are often found in meteorites, so scientists have long thought they might be one way sulfur solidifies out of molecular clouds to travel through the universe. XRISM’s observations could match a few of these compounds — pyrrhotite, troilite, and pyrite, which is sometimes called fool’s gold.The researchers were also able to use measurements from a second X-ray binary called 4U 1630-472 that helped confirm their findings. || ", "release_date": "2025-07-23T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-07-23T11:18:33-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1157083, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014800/a014868/GX_340+0_DECaPS_print.jpg", "filename": "GX_340+0_DECaPS_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This composite shows a section of the interstellar medium scientists X-rayed for sulfur using the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission). X-ray binary GX 340+0 is the blue dot in the center. The composite contains a blend of imagery in X-rays (represented in deep blue), infrared, and light.Credit: DSS/DECaPS/eRosita/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterAlt text: Optical, infrared, and X-ray composite image of a portion of the interstellar gas and dust with an X-ray source at the centerImage description: A bright blue dot is at the center of this star field. Yellow, red, blue, and white dots speckle the rest of the image, some buried in green-tinted swirls of dust.", "width": 1024, "height": 603, "pixels": 617472 } }, { "id": 14707, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14707/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "XRISM's Resolve Instrument Gazes into Cygnus X-3", "description": "Cygnus X-3 is a high-mass X-ray binary system consisting of a compact object (likely a black hole) and a Wolf-Rayet star. This artist's concept shows one interpretation of the system. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates two gas components: a heavy background outflow, or wind, produced by the massive star and a turbulent structure — perhaps a wake carved into the wind — located close to the orbiting companion. As shown here, a black hole's gravity captures some of the wind into an accretion disk around it, and the disk's orbital motion sculpts a path (yellow arc) through the streaming gas. During strong outbursts, the companion emits jets of particles moving near the speed of light, seen here extending above and below the black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterAlt text: Illustration of the Cygnus X-3 systemImage description: On a cloudy reddish background, a bright blue-white circle — a representation of a hot, bright, massive star — sits near the center. Wisps of blue-white border its edges, and many lines of similar color radiate from it. In the foreground at about 4 o’clock lies a yellowish ring with a black hole in its center. From the ring trails a diffuse yellow arc, sweeping from right to left and exiting at the bottom of the illustration. Extending above and below the black hole are two blue-white triangles representing particle jets. || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K.jpg (3840x2160) [505.1 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.5 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_web.png (320x180) [64.7 KB] || Cyg_X-3_illustration_4K_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || ", "release_date": "2024-11-25T11:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-01-21T16:25:27-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1103695, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014700/a014707/Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml.png", "filename": "Cyg_X3_spectrum_sml.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "XRISM’s Resolve instrument has captured the most detailed X-ray spectrum yet acquired of Cygnus X-3. Peaks indicate X-rays emitted by ionized gases, and valleys form where the gases absorb X-rays; many lines are also shifted to both higher and lower energies by gas motions. Top: The full Resolve spectrum, from 2 to 8 keV (kiloelectron volts), tracks X-rays with thousands of times the energy of visible light. Some lines are labeled with the names of the elements that produced them, such as sulfur, argon, and calcium, along with Roman numerals that refer to the number of electrons these atoms have lost. Bottom: A zoom into a region of the spectrum often dominated by features produced by transitions in the innermost electron shell (K shell) of iron atoms. These features form when the atoms interact with high-energy X-rays or electrons and respond by emitting a photon at energies between 6.4 and 7 keV. These details, clearly visible for the first time with XRISM’s Resolve instrument, will help astronomers refine their understanding of this unusual system.Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM CollaborationAlt text: XRISM Resolve X-ray spectrum of Cygnus X-3 Image description: Two graphs appear on a dark blue background. The text at the top reads “XRISM Resolve Spectrum of Cygnus X-3.” The top graph, which takes up the upper third of the image, has a lighter blue background that darkens from top to bottom, an even brighter squiggly line that arcs across the graph, and yellow text such as “Sulfur XV” and Calcium XX.” X-ray brightness increases from bottom to top, and X-ray energy (measured in thousands of electron volts, or keV) increases from left to right. An orange box labeled “Area of detail” surrounds a series of peaks and valleys near the right end and identifies the region shown in the bottom graph. The lower chart is labeled “Iron K-alpha region” and shows prominent emission and absorption features produced by iron. ", "width": 1028, "height": 800, "pixels": 822400 } }, { "id": 14584, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14584/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "XRISM Spots Iron Fingerprints in Nearby Active Galaxy", "description": "The Resolve instrument aboard XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) captured data from the center of galaxy NGC 4151, where a supermassive black hole is slowly consuming material from the surrounding accretion disk. The resulting spectrum reveals the presence of iron in the peak around 6.5 keV and the dips around 7 keV, light thousands of times more energetic that what our eyes can see. Background: An image of NGC 4151 constructed from a combination of X-ray, optical, and radio light. Credit: Spectrum: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Resolve. Background: X-rays, NASA/CXC/CfA/J.Wang et al.; optical, Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope; radio, NSF/NRAO/VLAAlt text: A XRISM spectrum of NGC 4151 with a multiwavelength snapshot of the galaxy in the background. Descriptive text: The spectrum image is labeled, “XRISM Resolve Spectrum of NGC 4151.” It shows a graph where the bottom is labeled, “X-ray energy (keV),” with a range from 5 to 9. The left side is labeled, “X-ray brightness.” A squiggly white line starts just under halfway up the left side. It peaks at just under 6.5 keV, nearly reaching the top of the graph. Then it starts to slope gently downward, with several sharp dips around 7 keV. In the background is a dim image of galaxy NGC 4151, where the center is a whiteish blue, surrounding by clouds of red and yellow. || Spectrum_v4.jpg (2300x2050) [426.6 KB] || ", "release_date": "2024-05-08T09:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-05-08T09:26:33-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1091980, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014500/a014584/Blazar.00550_print.jpg", "filename": "Blazar.00550_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as the above, but without labels. \rCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab\r", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 14492, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14492/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "XRISM Reveals Its First Look at X-ray Cosmos", "description": "XRISM’s Resolve instrument captured data from supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud to create the most detailed X-ray spectrum of the object ever made. The spectrum reveals peaks associated with silicon, sulfur, argon, calcium, and iron. Inset at right is an image of N132D captured by XRISM’s Xtend instrument.Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Resolve and Xtend || Resolve_N132D_Spectrum.jpg (3840x2395) [1.0 MB] || Resolve_N132D_Spectrum_searchweb.png (320x180) [45.7 KB] || Resolve_N132D_Spectrum_thm.png (80x40) [4.7 KB] || ", "release_date": "2024-01-05T08:50:00-05:00", "update_date": "2024-01-04T14:59:46.354457-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1088374, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014492/Resolve_N132D_Spectrum_searchweb.png", "filename": "Resolve_N132D_Spectrum_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "XRISM’s Resolve instrument captured data from supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud to create the most detailed X-ray spectrum of the object ever made. The spectrum reveals peaks associated with silicon, sulfur, argon, calcium, and iron. Inset at right is an image of N132D captured by XRISM’s Xtend instrument.\r\rCredit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Resolve and Xtend", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 14405, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14405/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "XRISM: Exploring the Hidden X-ray Cosmos", "description": "Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg (1280x720) [668.5 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_searchweb.png (320x180) [100.3 KB] || YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos_thm.png (80x40) [7.6 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.srt [7.8 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.en_US_FR.en_US.vtt [7.4 KB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.webm (3840x2160) [107.8 MB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.4 GB] || XRISM_Exploring_the_Hidden_Xray_Cosmos.mov (3840x2160) [21.6 GB] || ", "release_date": "2023-08-25T10:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-08-25T10:58:17.399336-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 858110, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014405/YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg", "filename": "YTframe_XRISM_Exploring_XrayCosmos.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Watch this video to learn more about XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), a collaboration between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic Credits: Universal Production MusicLights On by Hugh Robert Edwin Wilkinson Dreams by Jez Fox and Rohan JonesChanging Tide by Rob ManningWandering Imagination by Joel GoodmanIn Unison by Samuel Sim", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }