XMM-Newton Essentials
The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations.

Since Earth's atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.

Read more about the spacecraft, mirrors and instruments and about the XMM-Newton SOC.




Centaurus A's far-reaching jets, 04-Apr-2012
These new views of the iconic Centaurus A galaxy come courtesy of two ESA missions: the Herschel Space Observatory, which has observed the galaxy at far-infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths, and the XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory, which studied it in X-rays. By tracing very different components of the galaxy, these images highlight the complex interaction between the powerful jets stemming from the core of the galaxy and the diffuse medium that surrounds it.
Further details on the ESA Science & Technology pages.

3000 XMM-Newton papers, and counting, 26-Mar-2012
XMM-Newton was launched on December 10, 1999. Thanks to its ability to detect more X-ray sources than any previous satellite, XMM-Newton has helped solve many mysteries of the violent Universe, from what happens in and around black holes to the formation of cosmological structure in the early universe.
Further details on the XMM-Newton pages.

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.
Further details on the ESA Science & Technology pages.

A New View of an Icon, 17-Jan-2012
The Eagle Nebula as never seen before. In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope's 'Pillars of Creation' image of the Eagle Nebula became one of the most iconic images of the 20th century. Now, two of ESA's orbiting observatories have shed new light on this enigmatic star-forming region.
Further details on the ESA News Web site.

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.
Further details on the ESA Science & Technology pages.