A powerful new X-ray telescope will soon be on the prowl for supermassive black holes, the invisible remnants left when stars die. Called the NuStar by NASA, the telescope will be strapped to the back of a Pegasus XL rocket and launched into space from an island halfway between Hawaii and Australia on Wednesday. While black holes can’t be seen, the telescope will penetrate clouds of gas and dust for telltale signs of their existence with X-rays. The NuStar will map known black holes and search for previously unknown ones.
