The exciting discovery that Prox Cen is orbited by a potentially habitableEarth-size planet has motivated us to examine the next two nearest known HZplanets. X-ray observations (40+40 ks) are requested of Kapteyn s Star (KS -M1.5 V; 3.9pc) & Wolf 1061 (M3 V; 4.3pc). KS hosts a mid-HZ super-earth: Kapteynb (virgul4.8 Me). Wolf 1061 hosts 3 super earths - one within the HZ: Wolf 1061c(virgul4.3 Me). These planets are of sufficiently low mass (< 5Me) that they may berocky. Unlike Prox Cen which has extensive X-ray observations (>400 ks), theX-ray properties of these stars are poorly constrained. As shown in our Prox bstudy (Ribas et al. 2016), the host star s X-ray (& UV) radiation stronglyaffects (via photoionization/photodissociation) the planet s atmosphere, water inventory & habitability.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2018-03-10T01:34:34Z/2018-03-10T16:17:54Z
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, Prof Edward Guinan, 2019, 'High Energy Environments of the Nearby HZ Planets Kapteyn b & Wolf 1061c', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-n784ir4
