On July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the most powerful X-ray telescope ever built, was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Since then, Chandra has given us a view of the universe that is largely hidden from telescopes sensitive only to visible light. In Chandra's Cosmos, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra science spokesperson Wallace H. Tucker uses a series of short, connected stories to describe the telescope's exploration of the hot, high-energy face of the universe. The book is organized in three parts: "The Big," covering the cosmic web, dark energy, dark matter, and massive clusters of galaxies; "The Bad," exploring neutron stars, stellar black holes, and supermassive black holes; and "The Beautiful," discussing stars, exoplanets, and life.

Introduction : cool stories from the hot universe -- Part I. The big. Galaxy clusters -- The evidence for dark matter -- Cold dark matter -- Dark matter going bananas -- The wonderful--and fearful--dark side -- What is dark energy? -- The cosmic web -- Part II. The bad. Taking pleasure in the dimness of stars -- Cygnus X-1, microquasars, and the galactic jet set -- Downtown Milky Way -- The secret in the middle -- Ducks unlimited -- The origin and growth of supermassive black holes -- Green black holes -- Black hole feedback -- Part III. The beautiful. Going not gentle into that good night -- Core collapse -- The crab and other pulsar wind nebulas -- A thin cosmic rain : particles from outer space -- Elemental change -- Cosmic renewal.