XMM-Newton Anniversary Products

Scientists reflect on XMM-Newton’s 20th anniversary. The mission, led by ESA (European Space Agency), has dramatically improved our understanding of the cosmos thanks to detailed X-ray observations. NASA funded two of its three instruments, including the Optical/UV Monitor Telescope, which made XMM-Newton one of the first multiwavelength observatories in space.

Music: "Passionate Research" and "Wondrous Planet" both from Universal Production Music

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

Complete transcript available.

Explore the scientific impact of ESA's (the European Space Agency's) XMM-Newton observatory for its 20th anniversary in space, as told by Ph.D. scientists whose work the mission enabled. XMM-Newton carries three X-ray telescopes with an unprecedentedly large collecting area, and an optical monitor — the first flown on an X-ray observatory. XMM-Newton’s telescopes and its ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations of many targets, including active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, star formation in galaxies, and X-ray flares from stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Music: "Fast Motion" and "Drive to Succeed" both from Killer Tracks

Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.

Complete transcript available.