How ISRO’s AstroSat space observatory has transformed our understanding of the universe in 11 years

For the past eleven years, an Indian space telescope has been revealing the secrets of the universe. It has examined the tumultuous areas around black holes, detected the X-rays from remote galaxies and uncovered the mysteries of exploding stars. AstroSat, India's first dedicated space-based observatory, has not only matched the achievements of major players like NASA's Chandra, but has also provided insights that have changed global astrophysics.On September 28, AstroSat completed eleven years, more than double its intended lifespan.During this period, the mission has transformed our understanding of the universe's most energetic events: burning-hot stars, catastrophic stellar explosions, neutron stars (formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses), galaxy collisions and gamma-ray bursts.