Rocket-borne x-ray observation of SN1006 with the imaging gas scintillation proportional counter

An imaging spectrophotometric observation of the galactic supernova remnant (SNR) SN1006 in the soft x-ray band (0.1-1.4 keV) was carried out. The experiment used the Columbia imaging gas scintillation proportional counter (IGSPC) at the focal plane of a rocket-borne x-ray telescope. SN1006 has been the subject of much interest, both theoretical and observational, in recent years, but its basic nature has remained quite controversial. It was felt that such an object would be an ideal target by which to prove the advantages of the IGSPC for use in x-ray astronomy. The rocket was successfully launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in May 1983. An important result following the initial reduction of data was the first unambiguous detection of thermal emission lines below 1 keV. This requires a major re-thinking of current ideas about the emission mechanism powering SN1006 and was made possible by the superior performance characteristics of the IGSPC. As a check on the accuracy of the experiment, the broadband data were found consistent with earlier observations taken at lower resolution