Author Topic: ESA - XMM-Newton updates  (Read 34850 times)

Offline jacqmans

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ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« on: 04/23/2007 01:33 pm »
Warm gas escaping from the clutches of enormous black holes could be the key to a form of intergalactic 'pollution' that made life possible, according to new results from ESA's XMM-Newton space observatory, published today.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMDV2MJC0F_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #1 on: 07/18/2007 07:33 pm »
The orbiting X-ray telescopes XXM-Newton and Chandra have caught a pair of galaxy clusters merging into a giant cluster. The discovery adds to existing evidence that galaxy clusters can collide faster than previously thought.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMHOPNSP3F_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #2 on: 08/27/2007 09:11 pm »
Astronomers using XMM-Newton and Suzaku have seen Einstein's predicted distortion of space-time and pioneered a ground-breaking technique for determining the properties of neutron stars.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMPJXE1P5F_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #3 on: 12/01/2007 06:33 am »
Right in time for the festive season, ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory has discovered a huge cloud of high-temperature gas resting in a spectacular nearby star-forming region, shaped somewhat like the silhouette of Santa Claus.

Read more at:

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMOCI73R8F_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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RE: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #4 on: 01/09/2008 04:40 pm »
XMM-Newton gives new insight into neutron stars

8 January 2008

XMM-Newton has given astronomers and physics a valuable new insight into the most exotic stars in the Universe. Known as neutron stars, the composition of these extremely dense stellar objects has always been something of a puzzle. Now, XMM-Newton has revealed that they almost certainly resemble over-sized atomic nuclei.


http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMHDX2MDAF_index_0.html


Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #5 on: 04/07/2008 02:20 pm »
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a rare type of galaxy, from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes shaping galaxies during their formation and evolution.


Read more at:

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMDHJXMMEF_index_0.html

Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #6 on: 06/10/2008 09:42 am »
Detective astronomers unearth hidden celestial gem

10 June 2008
ESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has re-discovered an ignored celestial gem. The object in question is one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way, the corpse of a star that exploded around 1000 years ago.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM1OPUG3HF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #7 on: 07/18/2008 02:53 pm »
XMM-Newton discovers the star that everyone missed

18 July 2008

XMM-Newton has discovered an exploding star in the Milky Way. Usually that would be important in itself, but this time there is a special twist. Calculations show that the explosion must have been clearly visible to the unaided eye but was missed by the legions of star watchers around the planet.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMH9HWIPIF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #8 on: 08/25/2008 09:23 am »
XMM-Newton's massive discovery
 
25 August 2008
ESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has discovered the most massive cluster of galaxies seen in the distant Universe until now. The galaxy cluster is so big that there can only be a handful of them at that distance, making this a rare catch indeed. The discovery confirms the existence of dark energy.

http://asimov.esrin.esa.int/esaCP/SEMY70XIPIF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #9 on: 01/13/2009 01:29 pm »
XMM-Newton has caught the fading glow of a tiny celestial object, revealing its rotation rate for the first time. The new information confirms this particular object as one of an extremely rare class of stellar zombie - each one the dead heart of a star that refuses to die.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAD2UTGOF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #10 on: 05/27/2009 05:56 pm »
Using new data from ESA's XMM-Newton spaceborne observatory, astronomers have probed closer than ever to a supermassive black hole lying deep at the core of a distant active galaxy.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMTIX0OWUF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #11 on: 07/01/2009 06:59 pm »
Astronomers using ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory have discovered a black hole weighing more than 500 solar masses, a missing link between lighter stellar-mass and heavier supermassive black holes, in a distant galaxy. This discovery is the best detection to date of a new class that has long been searched for: intermediate mass black holes.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMZGM1P0WF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #12 on: 09/04/2009 07:57 am »
ESA's XMM-Newton orbiting X-ray telescope has uncovered a celestial Rosetta stone: the first close-up of a white dwarf star, circling a companion star, that could explode into a particular kind of supernova in a few million years. These supernovae are used as beacons to measure cosmic distances and ultimately understand the expansion of our Universe.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM4F8LW3ZF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #13 on: 12/09/2009 10:56 am »
ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory is celebrating its 10th anniversary. During its decade of operation, this remarkable space observatory has supplied new data for every aspect of astronomy. From our cosmic backyard to the further reaches of the Universe, XMM-Newton has changed the way we think of space.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMX6X6JT2G_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline Space Pete

Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #14 on: 10/16/2010 12:41 am »
Are most pulsars really magnetars in disguise?

Astronomers using XMM-Newton and other world-class X-ray telescopes have probed a curious source, which emits flares and bursts just like a magnetar but lacks the extremely high external magnetic field typical of these objects. The detection of this source, which could be powered by a strong, internal magnetic field hidden to observations, may mean that many 'ordinary' pulsars are dormant magnetars waiting to erupt.

Massive stars remain objects of curiosity even well after their demise. Ending their lives in dramatic fashion, as supernova explosions, they leave a very dense and compact remnant behind - a neutron star or a black hole, depending on the mass of the star. These remnants, characterised by intense gravitational fields, are the source of some extremely energetic events and give rise to a variety of interesting phenomena which can be observed throughout the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

Neutron stars, in particular, derive from the collapse of stars originally as massive as 8 to 25 times the mass of the Sun and they harbour magnetic fields a million times stronger than the strongest ones ever produced on Earth. Spinning neutron stars can be observed as pulsating sources -hence the name, pulsars- with exceptionally short periods, ranging from about one thousandth of a second to ten seconds. Powerful beams of electromagnetic radiation are created by jets of energetic particles that stream out above the magnetic poles of the star; the 'blinking' effect arises because the pulsar's magnetic dipole is not always aligned with its axis of rotation. Young pulsars rotate extremely fast but release rotational energy and slow down as they age: older pulsars have thus longer periods than younger ones. By measuring the rate at which a pulsar spins down it is possible to estimate the intensity of its surface dipolar magnetic field.

Magnetars are a special class of pulsars that stand out from the crowd because of their striking characteristics: they have long rotations periods, occasionally undergo episodes of extremely enhanced emission (about 10–100 times the usual value) and produce intense, short bursts of X-rays and gamma-rays.

"Ordinary pulsars are powered by their rotation. The extreme events observed in magnetars, instead, require an additional energy reservoir, believed to reside in a particularly strong magnetic field," says Nanda Rea from the CSIC - Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, who led the study which is to be published in the journal, Science. "Thus far, 15 magnetars were identified, all of them exhibiting extraordinarily high values of the surface dipolar magnetic field," she adds.

All of these magnetars have magnetic fields of about 1014–1015 Gauss, hundreds to thousands of times stronger than those detected in ordinary pulsars. The object of the study of Rea and collaborators, a source called SGR 0418+5729, appears to challenge this trend. "Surprisingly, SGR 0418+5729 behaves just like a magnetar, with a period of about 9 seconds and evidence of intense X-ray bursts, but its magnetic field is not remotely as strong as a magnetar's. In fact, it is of the same order as that of an ordinary pulsar's magnetic field," explains Rea.

Astronomers monitored SGR 0418+5729 for several months employing virtually all available X-ray telescopes, including XMM-Newton, Chandra, RXTE and Swift, in order to achieve the most complete coverage possible.

"The use of XMM-Newton was particularly beneficial in this context," comments Norbert Schartel, XMM-Newton Project Scientist. "Its large effective area allows observations to be performed at high sensitivity, which translates into a very precise estimate of the period of the source."

After months of observations with a series of world-class telescopes, no sign of variation in the period of SGR 0418+5729 was recorded. This allowed astronomers to place only an upper limit on its dipolar magnetic field, which must be smaller than 7.5 x 1012 Gauss. With such a weak magnetic field, what can be powering the intense bursts and the overall magnetar-like behaviour of this puzzling source?

"Astronomical measurements are only sensitive to the dipolar magnetic field of a pulsar," explains co-author Sandro Mereghetti from INAF-IASF in Milan, Italy. "However, SGR 0418+5729 could conceal a strong magnetic field in its interior, which would cause the bursts and extreme emission but remain unnoticed by any observations,” he adds.

If this scenario proves to be true, it would dramatically change the standard picture astronomers have regarding magnetars, lifting the curtain on a large population of pulsars with a broad range of magnetic field values. "This would mean that many sources, currently classified as 'ordinary' pulsars, could turn on as magnetars at any time, regardless of the surface dipolar magnetic field we measure," comments Rea.

In order to assess that, more observations of SGR 0418+5729 have to be performed. Depending on whether its spin-down rate is close to the current limit or is much lower than it, anything from a few months up to a few years of careful monitoring will be needed before a firm estimate of the surface magnetic field can be obtained. If this turns out to be significantly lower than the current limit, then the entire magnetar scenario might need to be revised.

"The new framework affects also our theoretical understanding of supernova explosions that lead to the formation of neutron stars," says Mereghetti. In order to produce a remnant with such a strong inner magnetic field, explosions must be more powerful than those currently accounted for. Such scenarios could also lead to intense emission of gravitational waves.

"We are eager to perform further observations of this baffling object and to determine whether it actually represents the norm or the exception," Rea concludes.

Related publications

Rea, N., et al., "A low-magnetic field Soft Gamma Repeater", Science Express, published online 14 October 2010. DOI: 10.1126/science.1196088

Notes for editors

SGR 0418+5729 was discovered on 5 June 2009 by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), which recorded two magnetar-like bursts of hard X-rays. Follow-up observations were conducted for 160 days with several X-ray satellites in order to monitor the source and measure its period. These observations are necessary to estimate the rate at which the object possibly spins down and, from this, to derive the value of the dipolar magnetic field.

For the first 160 days of observations, SGR 0418+5729 showed no sign of variations in the rotation period. After that, SGR 0418+5729 could not be monitored for a while because its position on the sky was too close to the Sun's.

An extensive monitoring of SGR 0418+5729, involving XMM-Newton, Swift, and Chandra, began on 9 July 2010. The current estimate of the period, based on a best fit to all data, is P=9.07838827 seconds.

To date, no variation of the period has been detected; the upper limit is of P_dot<6.0 x 10-15, which translates into a surface dipolar magnetic field B< 7.5 x 1012 Gauss.


http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47844
NASASpaceflight ISS Editor

Offline jacqmans

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #15 on: 06/28/2011 07:33 pm »
Neutron star bites off more than it can chew

28 June 2011

ESA’s XMM-Newton space observatory has watched a faint star flare up at X-ray wavelengths to almost 10 000 times its normal brightness. Astronomers believe the outburst was caused by the star trying to eat a giant clump of matter.


http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWVL3TBPG_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #16 on: 09/30/2011 01:50 pm »
ESA spacecraft reveal new anatomy around a black hole
 
29 September 2011

A fleet of spacecraft including ESA's XMM-Newton and Integral have shown unprecedented details close to a supermassive black hole. They reveal huge 'bullets' of gas being driven away from the 'gravitational monster'.
 
The black hole that the team chose to study lies at the heart of the galaxy Markarian 509, 500 million light years away in space. This black hole is colossal, containing 300 million times the mass of the Sun and growing more massive every day as it continues to feed.

Markarian 509 was chosen because it is known to vary in brightness, which indicates that the flow of matter into the black hole is turbulent. The radiation from this inner region then drives an outflow of some gas away from the black hole.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAQQ6UXSG_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 09/30/2011 01:53 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #17 on: 12/20/2011 08:32 pm »
Strangely slow pulsar discovered nestled in young supernova remnant

20 Dec 2011

Astronomers have discovered a very slowly rotating X-ray pulsar still embedded in the remnant of the supernova that created it. This unusual object was detected on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, using data from a number of telescopes, including ESA's XMM-Newton. A puzzling mismatch between the fairly young age of the supernova remnant and the slow rotation of the pulsar, which would normally indicate a much older object, raises interesting questions about the origin and evolution of pulsars.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=49784

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #18 on: 03/01/2012 04:32 pm »
XMM-Newton measures the power of black-hole driven outflows in galaxies

27 Feb 2012

Astronomers using ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory have discovered that ultra-fast outflows are quite common in active galaxies. About 40 per cent of the sources in their sample show outflows that arise from the vicinity of the central black holes. By estimating the mass and energy released by the outflows, the astronomers have identified them as major agents in the feedback processes required by models of galactic evolution to explain the observed correlation between the mass of black holes and the stellar content of their host galaxies.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50097
« Last Edit: 03/01/2012 04:33 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - XMM-Newton updates
« Reply #19 on: 05/31/2012 08:45 pm »
XMM-Newton reveals light 'echo' around supermassive black hole

31 May 2012

Astronomers studying the galaxy NGC 4151 with ESA's XMM-Newton space observatory have detected X-rays emitted and then reflected by ionised iron atoms very close to the supermassive black hole hosted at the galaxy's core. By measuring the time delays occurring in these 'reverberation' events, they were able to map the vicinity of this black hole in unprecedented detail.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50408

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