The exceptional low activity of the Sun during the Maunder minimum periodbetween 1650 - 1715 is still an unsolved astrophysical puzzle; the appearance ofsolar activity during that period is of major interest both for solar physicistsand climatologists. Searches for stellar analogs of the Maunder minimum Sun havehad only mixed success and it is controversial how common Maunder minimum starsreally are. We propose to carry out a sensitive X-ray survey of extremely lowactivity stars in the immediate solar neighborhood to investigate whether thesestars are .flat-activity. objects or show cyclic behavior similar to the Sun.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2011-10-08T04:35:45Z/2012-02-05T23:54:58Z
Version
PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE
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, Prof Jurgen Schmitt, 2013, 'Maunder minimum stars: How frequent are they questionMark', PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-eqdwv2r
