China has tested the world's first "lobster eye" space telescope. It will allow scientists to capture X-ray images of the universe.
At 500km above the Earth, the 53kg Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy (LEIA) took high-quality images of X-ray sources – including the centre of our galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and the Scorpius constellation.
"We are very excited about LEIA's results. They show that our technology works," said astrophysicist Yuan Weimin, the mission's chief scientist.
LEIA's technology will be used on the Einstein Probe, a much larger telescope that is being built by Chinese and European scientists. It will be sent into orbit next year to improve our understanding of the X-ray universe.
