Gamma-rays are the highest-energy form of light in the universe. Some are generated by transient events, such as solar flares and the huge star explosions known as supernovas. Others are produced by steady sources like the supermassive black holes at the hearts of galaxies.
NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been mapping out the high-energy sky since its June 2008 launch. Earlier this year, the Fermi team released its second catalog of sources detected by the instrument's Large Area Telescope (LAT), producing an inventory of 1,873 objects shining in gamma-ray light.
Fermi scientists recently compiled a "top 10 list" to mark the occasion, and to highlight the diversity of gamma-ray sources. Five of the sources on the list are found within our own Milky Way, while the other five reside in distant galaxies.
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