Planetary nebulae (PNe) consist of stellar material ejected by stars with masses<10 solar masses. Both fast stellar winds and collimated outflows contribute tothe shaping of PN shells and fill the shell interiors with shock-heated gas attemperatures higher than 10E6 K. XMM and Chandra observations have produced thefirst unambiguous detections of diffuse X- ray emission from PNe, but theobserved X-ray luminosities of PNe are generally much lower than theoreticalexpectations. Observations of a few young PNe hint at a short-lived phase ofbright X- ray emission in early evolutionary stages. We request XMM observationsof 4 very young PNe to further investigate the earliest history and physicalconditions of hot gas produced by fast winds and collimated outflows in PNe.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2007-02-19T05:41:29Z/2007-02-19T13:48:23Z
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 Martin Guerrero, 2008, 'The Earliest Production of Hot Gas in Young Planetary Nebulae', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-elldo2p
