A study by Strigari et al (Nature 454, 1096 (2008)) shows the puzzling discoverythat the integrated mass of the Milky Way dwarf satellites are consistent withthem having a common mass of about 10^7 M_sun, suggesting that they could be theprimordial building blocks in galaxy formation, introducing a new scale ingalaxy formation and for the clustering of dark matter. We ask to completeXMM-Newton observations of the full sample of known dSphs in order to drawconclusions about their formation and source content deducible from their X-rayemission. The proposed programme represents an XMM-Newton legacy for the searchfor dark matter signatures.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2011-04-21T11:54:47Z/2011-04-21T21:26:57Z
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 Matthias Ehle, 2012, 'Our Strange Neighbors: Satellite Galaxies of the Milky Way', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ucnedc7
