| Proposal ID | 030254 |
| Title | Dark Matter in Elliptical Galaxies |
| Download Data Associated to the proposal | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0302540201 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-x4io6x2 |
| Principal Investigator, PI | Dr Ewan OSullivan |
| Abstract | While the brightest group and cluster dominant elliptical galaxies are believedto have large dark matter halos, recent dynamical measurements suggest that somemoderate luminosity ellipticals contain little or no dark matter. However, anX-ray mass measurement for one of these galaxies produces a conflicting result.We have undertaken the first systematic survey of mass profiles in ordinaryellipticals with X-ray halos using archival data, but almost all the galaxieswith X-ray data available lie in high density environments. In order to rectifythis bias, we propose to observe four elliptical galaxies in low densityenvironments with the goal of understanding their halo properties. |
| Publications |
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| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2005-05-02T09:45:32Z/2005-05-02T19:14:08Z |
| Version | 21.51_20241115_1113 |
| 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. |
| Creator Contact | https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk |
| Date Published | 2006-08-03T00:00:00Z |
| Last Update | 2026-07-09 |
| Keywords | "halo properties", "mass profiles", "moderate luminosity ellipticals", "archival data", "ordinary ellipticals", "elliptical galaxy", "systematic survey", "xray mass measurement", "dark matter halos", "galaxy produces", "low density environments", "density environments", "xray halos", "xray data", "dynamical measurements", "dark matter" |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, Dr Ewan O'Sullivan, 2006, 'Dark Matter in Elliptical Galaxies', 21.51_20241115_1113, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-x4io6x2 |
| Rights | Data hosted in the ESA Space Science Archives are distributed under the CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO license. |