Collisions between stellar winds and their gaseous environments play animportant role in many areas of astrophysics. We propose to utilize XMM-Newtonto study the X-ray aurora produced by the collision of the solar wind with theneutral coma around the largest remaining fragment of comet SW3. Its extremelyclose encounter in May 2006 provides the opportunity to spatially resolve thedeceleration and depletion of the solar wind ions in the coma. In combinationwith laboratory atomic data, this provides a quantitative handle on theconditions throughout the interaction zone, which will greatly improve ourunderstanding of the interaction of the solar wind with solar system objects andin more general, of physical processes in wind-environment collisions.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2006-05-13T22:31:31Z/2006-05-14T10:14:45Z
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 Konrad Dennerl, 2007, 'Comet SW3 and XMM-Newton: an extremely close encounter with a flying laboratory', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-7hc9yzb
