Hakucho


Hakucho

(hă-koo -choh) The first Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite, launched in Feb. 1979 and operating until re-entry in late 1984. Its payload included several small nonimaging detectors well matched to the study of variability in the brighter galactic X-ray sources. Extended observations of X-ray pulsars and of X-ray burst sources were the major scientific contributions. See also Asca; Ginga; Tenma.