▁the ▁Sun . ▁ ▁The ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁search ▁for ▁X - ray ▁sources ▁from ▁above ▁the ▁Earth ' s ▁atmosphere ▁was ▁on ▁August ▁ 5 , ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁ 1 2 : 0 7 ▁G MT . ▁A ▁US ▁Army ▁( former ly ▁German ) ▁V - 2 ▁ro cket ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁Project ▁Herm es ▁was ▁launched ▁from ▁White ▁S ands ▁Pro ving ▁Gr ounds . ▁The ▁first ▁solar ▁X - ray s ▁were ▁recorded ▁by ▁T . ▁Burn ight . ▁ ▁Through ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁ 7 0 s , ▁ 8 0 s , ▁and ▁ 9 0 s , ▁the ▁sens itivity ▁of ▁detect ors ▁increased ▁greatly ▁during ▁the ▁ 6 0 ▁years ▁of ▁X - ray ▁astronom y . ▁In ▁addition , ▁the ▁ability ▁to ▁focus ▁X - ray s ▁has ▁developed ▁enorm ously — allow ing ▁the ▁production ▁of ▁high - quality ▁images ▁of ▁many ▁fasc in ating ▁cel est ial ▁objects . ▁ ▁Major ▁questions ▁in ▁X - ray ▁astronom y ▁As ▁X - ray ▁astronom y ▁uses ▁a ▁major ▁spectral ▁pro be ▁to ▁peer ▁into ▁the ▁source , ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁valuable ▁tool ▁in ▁efforts ▁to ▁understand ▁many ▁puzz les . ▁ ▁St ell ar ▁magnetic ▁fields ▁Mag net ic ▁fields ▁are ▁u bi quit ous ▁among ▁stars , ▁yet ▁we ▁do ▁not ▁understand ▁precisely ▁why , ▁nor ▁have ▁we ▁fully ▁understood ▁the ▁bew ilder ing ▁variety ▁of ▁pl asma ▁physical ▁mechan isms ▁that ▁act ▁in