Energetic events and environments often emit X-rays, from the colliding winds of massive stars, to supernova explosions and their neutron star and black hole remnants, to supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies, to galaxy clusters–the most massive bound objects in the universe. They all produce both thermal and non-thermal X-rays through their interaction with intervening gas, offering clues about the processes affecting the formation and evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies. I will discuss various investigations with NuSTAR–the first focussing E>10 keV observatory–that explore these topics through efforts to extend its capabilities, namely by better understanding and modeling its PSF and background.
Stuck in the Weeds: Exploring the X-ray Universe with NuSTAR, the Hard Way