Rotating anode X-ray tubes degrade over time because of the action of the electron beam altering the surface of the focal spot area of a rotating anode. This causes a degradation in a resulting object image, when the source is used in an imaging application. An X-ray tube housing assembly is discussed which allows the correction of such effects. In particular, an additional beam of the X-radiation, which is not used for imaging, may be used to correct such effects.