Ginga (satellite)

ASTRO-C, renamed Ginga (Japanese for 'galaxy'), was launched from the Kagoshima Space Center on 5 February, 1987. The primary instrument for observations was the Large Area Counter (LAC). Ginga was the third Japanese X-ray astronomy mission, following Hakucho and Tenma. Ginga reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 1 November, 1991.

Highlights

 * Discovery of transient Black Hole Candidates and study of their spectral evolution.
 * Discovery of weak transients in the galactic ridge.
 * Detection of cyclotron features in 3 X-ray pulsars: 4U1538-522, V0332+53, and Cep X-4.
 * Evidence for emission and absorption Fe feature in Seyfert probing reprocessing by cold matter.
 * Discovery of intense 6-7 keV iron line emission from the galactic center region.