| Proposal ID | 084503 |
| Title | The extreme colliding wind binary HD 93129A moving away from periastron |
| Download Data Associated to the proposal | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0845030201 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-xjt26cd |
| Principal Investigator, PI | Prof Hugues Sana |
| Abstract | With a total mass of over 100Msun, e>0.9 and P_orb~120yr, HD93129A is one of themost extreme massive binaries known. Astrometric measurements of its orbit haverevealed a periastron passage in Fall 2018. The strong stellar winds of the twostars and the tight separation at periastron are producing an intense wind-windcollision (WWC) and an unusually high thermal and non-thermal X-ray emissionthat we are currently monitoring. Here we request two additional 25ksec XMMobservations to follow the X-ray emission decrease as the system progresses awayfrom periastron. Obtaining a full coverage of the X-ray emission of HD93129A isa once-in-a-life-time opportunity to achieve observational breakthroughs in ourunderstanding of the shock physics and of the WWC hydrodynamics. |
| Publications |
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| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2019-06-07T05:25:44Z/2019-12-08T01:10:27Z |
| Version | 21.51_20241115_1113 |
| 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. |
| Creator Contact | https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk |
| Date Published | 2021-01-03T23:00:00Z |
| Last Update | 2026-07-09 |
| Keywords | "stellar winds", "massive binary", "shock physics", "wwc hydrodynamics", "system progresses", "total mass", "life time", "XMM", "xray emission", "nonthermal xray emission", "periastron passage", "astrometric measurements", "tight separation", "xray emission decrease" |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, Prof Hugues Sana, 2021, 'The extreme colliding wind binary HD 93129A moving away from periastron', 21.51_20241115_1113, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-xjt26cd |
| Rights | Data hosted in the ESA Space Science Archives are distributed under the CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO license. |