M31N 2008-12a is a recurrent nova in M31 with a unique record of 8 observederuptions in the last 8 years. The apparent recurrence period of 1 yr isunprecedentedly short, with evidence for an even shorter period of 6 months.This nova is the prime type-Ia supernova progenitor candidate. We successfullypredicted the last two eruptions and predict that future eruptions will soonenter the XMM-Newton visibility window. We propose a 100-ks XMM-Newton target ofopportunity observation of a future eruption to study in unprecedented detailthe X-ray spectrum and characterise the emission components. Additionally, wewill study the flux variability of the early supersoft X-ray phase and measurethe corresponding X-ray spectral variations and the UV variability.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2016-12-26T12:06:31Z/2016-12-28T23:29:58Z
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 Martin Henze, 2018, 'A detailed X-ray study of the unique recurrent nova M31N 2008-12a', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-sv8a4xj
