Following the discovery of IC 2497 and Hanny.s Voorwerp, the citizen scientiststaking part in the Galaxy Zoo project have identified a sample of low-redshiftgalaxies with extended AGN-photoionized clouds indicative of a Seyfert-luminosity AGN. We select a sample of 7 such galaxies where the lack of infraredemission makes it plausible that the AGN phase illuminating the cloud has shutdown within the light travel time to the cloud. We propose to use XMM-Newton toobserve these objects, as in IC 2497, to test whether these AGN have indeed shutdown and thus providing a measurement of significant AGN variability onpreviously inaccessible timescales.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2012-03-02T09:59:47Z/2012-03-02T19:01:02Z
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 Kevin Schawinski, 2013, 'Probing AGN Variability on 10-100 kyr Timescales', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-xgznjli
