What is Riccardo Giacconi known for?
I am best known for founding X-ray astronomy. In the early 1960s, I led the team that built the first X-ray detectors for rockets, and we discovered Scorpius X-1, the first cosmic X-ray source outside our solar system. That was just the beginning. I later conceived and led the Uhuru satellite, which produced the first all-sky X-ray survey, revealing hundreds of sources like neutron stars and black holes. I also directed the Einstein Observatory, the first X-ray telescope with imaging mirrors, and later founded the Space Telescope Science Institute to manage the Hubble Space Telescope. For this work, I received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics. My approach has always been to build new instruments first—new ways of seeing—and let the data guide discovery.
Ask Riccardo Giacconi the follow-up →