Einstein Probe detects ancient X-ray burst (vertical)

Einstein Probe’s Wide-field X-ray Telescope detected the weak X-ray signal of the transient EP240315a much earlier than its gamma-ray counterpart. This demonstrates the high sensitivity of its lobster-eye optics. Prompt follow-up observations showed that the burst had come from around 12.5 billion light-years away, beginning its cosmic journey to us when the Universe was just 10 percent its current age.

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[Image description: This image is a vertical rectangle, with a representation of the Einstein Probe spacecraft in the middle. The spacecraft has a golden colour and looks like multiple stacked boxes with dark panels sticking out on either side (solar arrays). On the top right of the image, an explosion is visible as a yellow ball with spikes sticking out of it. A green beam goes from the explosion into the spacecraft. Behind the explosion, the night sky is visible and a yellow high-light represents a window to the far-away Universe with a yellow grid, which is a representation of Einstein Probe’s lobster-eye optics. Behind the spacecraft, Earth is visible as a half globe, in a purple-blue hue. On the bottom of the image, multiple dishes are visible in yellow-green, which represent telescopes on the ground.]