Since Jan. 2007, our yearly XMM-Newton monitoring of SN 1987A yields EPIC andRGS spectra of unprecedented quality. The fluxes and broadening of the numerousemission lines provide information on the evolution of the X-ray emitting plas-ma and its dynamics. The soft X-ray light curve shows a significant flatteningafter 2006. To further monitor the turn-over we propose to continue our XMM-Newton monitoring of SN 1987A. This will allow us to further study the timeevolution of the shock conditions and abundance profiles. At high energiesEPIC-pn can help to clarify the extremely low observed Fe abundance by followingthe evolution of the detected Fe-K line. Is most of the Fe swallowed by thecentral compact object or is the emission from the inner sections of the progenitor star still absorbed?
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2012-12-11T03:34:12Z/2012-12-11T22:59:28Z
Version
14.21_20150826_1500
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 Frank Haberl, 2014, 'X-ray Spectrometry of SN1987A', 14.21_20150826_1500, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-1bzb5bt
