Integral: a decade revealing the high-energy sky

Integral: a decade revealing the high-energy sky ESA's Integral, the most sensitive gamma-ray observatory ever launched, today celebrates ten years of observations. From rare breeds of stars to the feeding habits of black holes, the mission has been uncovering the secrets of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. Galactic Centre through Integral's eyes The central region of our Milky Way, the Galactic Bulge, is a rich host of variable high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray sources. Thanks to regular observations by Integral over the last ten years, this dynamic environment has been charted in extensive detail, as revealed in this special anniversary video. A number of these sources, which include X-ray binary systems with a black hole or a neutron star, pulsars and remnants of supernova explosions, only shine brightly for a limited period of time. In some cases, they appear as a sudden bright flash and disappear shortly afterwards, whereas others are more persistent. The effect of this constantly changing environment gives the Galactic Bulge the appearance of a dramatic cosmic light show.