The earliest stages of the Sun.s life were fundamentally important for theformation of planetary seeds, physical and chemical processes in the SolarNebula, the dissipation of left-over molecular material, and the chemistry ofthe forming planetary atmospheres. Many of these mechanisms are intrinsicallyrelated to high-energy processes on or near the forming star. The principal goalof the present proposal is a study of the pre-main sequence high-energy life -or lives - of our Sun by investigating a sample of stars of approximately onesolar mass with known ages in the nearby Chamaeleon I star formation region. Thelarge effective area of the XMM-Newton EPIC cameras allows us for the first timeto conduct a spectroscopic X-ray study of the pre-main sequence X-ray Sun in Time.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2003-08-18T05:52:19Z/2003-08-18T14:27:48Z
Version
17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs 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 Earths 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.
European Space Agency, Dr Manuel Guedel, 2004, 'Restless Days of the Infant Sun', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-q2h0vil
