gamma Cas objects are Be stars presenting an unusually intense and hard X-rayemission. Currently, only about a dozen such objects are known and it is wellpossible that additional cases, even bright ones, remain undetected. To improvethe situation, we propose to observe a set of well-chosen Be stars withsnapshots to search for the characteristic gamma Cas signatures.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2018-05-17T09:14:17Z/2019-03-31T02:33:31Z
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 Yael Naze, 2020, 'Hunting for gamma Cas objects', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-97lizme
