Abstract

Softx-ray astronomy began with detection of x-rays from the sun in the late 1940s and continues to have strong ties to study of the solar emission. Because it is intrinsically interesting and is the strongest x-ray source, studies of the sun remain the testing ground for new techniques and the development of new instrumentation, such as multilayer coatings for near-normal incidence imaging and high resolution electronic array detectors. The continued development of grazing incidence techniques and associated instrumental recording devices, combined with improvements in sensitivity and resolution, have allowed x-ray astronomy to detect and study a large variety of "normal" astronomical features in addition to the rare and unusual objects which were first detected. Current missions in the soft x-ray and XUV are carrying out extensive mainstream studies in all areas of astronomy, and future missions call for studies directed at the most fundamental cosmological questions.

© 1990 Optical Society of America