CHANDRA IN THE ERA
OF NEW TELESCOPES
AND BIG DATA
We are entering a new era of astronomy and our exploration of the Universe. The arrival of a new generation of telescopes – including the NSF’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory, ESA’s Euclid, and NASA’s upcoming Roman Space Telescope – will bring more data to astronomers than ever before in humanity’s millennia of looking to the heavens.
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory will help scientists decipher and understand this new torrent of data. With its unique X-ray vision, Chandra has the sensitivity and resolution to investigate phenomena that Rubin, Euclid, and Roman uncover.
Many mysterious events in the Universe happen quickly and do not last long. These are known as “transient phenomena” since they come and go. While this new generation of telescopes can capture these events better than ever before, astronomers still need eyes in all types of light to dissect what is happening.
Most transient phenomena produce extreme energies – and that includes intense X-rays. Chandra has the sharpest X-ray vision of any telescope and can pivot quickly to train its X-ray eyes on what needs to be covered. From growing black holes to exploded stars to mysterious bursts that cannot be explained, X-rays are an irreplaceable diagnostic tool that all astronomers need.
Astronomers have already developed artificial intelligence tools to sift through X-ray data from Chandra. This will allow an acceleration of discovery when combined with the new oceans of data collected by Rubin, Euclid, and Roman.
It takes teamwork (and many years of hard work!) on the ground to design, build, and operate these new facilities. It also takes teamwork between telescopes to get a complete picture and a true understanding of what these amazing new telescopes will see.
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory will be an indispensable tool with its crucial capabilities, that can enhance this next generation of telescopes for years to come.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Cinestav/T.Bernal et al.; Infrared/Optical: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA; image processing: J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi; composite image processing: NASA/CXC/L.Frattare
In a sky that is more crowded, dynamic, and data-rich than ever before, Chandra is not just a legacy mission—it’s a precision instrument for a new age of cosmic discovery.
Rubin + Roman + Chandra
With the anticipated deluge of alerts from Rubin and Roman—potentially millions per night—AI tools will help prioritize which events demand immediate X-ray follow-up. Chandra’s targeted observations, guided by intelligent filtering, will turn floods of raw detections into focused insights.
Chandra’s ability to respond rapidly to transient alerts—from Rubin’s nightly sky sweeps to Roman’s wide-field imaging—makes it one of the few observatories capable of quickly zooming in on the high-energy aftermath of cosmic events. When time is critical and phenomena evolve over hours or days, Chandra’s agility is not just helpful—it’s essential.
Credit: Euclid: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi; Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, image processing by NASA/CXC/J.Major & L.Frattare
Perseus Wide Field
(Chandra + Euclid)
While telescopes like Rubin, Euclid, and Roman will uncover millions of new cosmic events and objects, they often detect only the visible surface of these phenomena. Chandra allows scientists to peer deeper—into the energetic engines powering black holes, galactic collisions, and supernovae. Without X-ray data from Chandra, many of these discoveries could remain incomplete puzzles.
Credit: NASA/CXC/Trinity University/D. Pooley et al.
Messenger studies
(LIGO + Chandra)
These kinds of multimission, multiwavelength, or multimessenger partnerships have already proven essential—for example, when gravitational wave detectors (LIGO/Virgo) spotted a neutron star merger, Chandra was the only observatory to detect its fading X-ray afterglow months later, helping confirm the production of heavy elements like gold and platinum. Future survey missions will uncover many such mergers—and Chandra is needed to reveal their true nature.
Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; Optical: Astrobin; Contributors: C.Björk, T.Bähnck, S.Donoso, J. Gentillon, A. & D.Grelin, S.Guberski, R.Hall, T.Heuberger, J.Jacks, P.Kent, B.Meyers, W.Ostling, N.Puig, T.Schaeffer, F.Schöfbänker, M.Vasilev; composite image processing: NASA/CXC/L.Frattare, J.Major.
M51 wide field (Chandra + Ground-based optical)
Unlike any other telescope flying or planned, Chandra offers sub-arcsecond X-ray resolution. This means it can pinpoint and disentangle overlapping sources in crowded fields, such as galaxy clusters or star-forming regions, which other X-ray or optical instruments simply cannot resolve. Without this capability, critical information would remain inaccessible or misunderstood.
Developed by the Chandra X-ray Center, at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, in Cambridge, MA, with funding by NASA under contract NAS8-03060 | Privacy | Accessibility