Welcome to the XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre

The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's 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 Earth's 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.

Read more about the spacecraft, mirrors and instruments and about the XMM-Newton SOC.

News and Highlights

10-June-2025
Where did cosmic rays come from? Astrophysicists are closer to finding out
Cosmic rays—high-energy particles moving close to the speed of light—originated from somewhere in the Milky Way galaxy and beyond, but exactly where has been a mystery since they were discovered in 1912. Shuo Zhang, MSU assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and her group led two studies that shed new light on where cosmic rays might have come from. [...] Using X-ray data from the XMM-Newton space telescope, DiKerby found a pulsar wind nebula—an expanding bubble with relativistic electrons and positions with energy injection from a pulsar. This finding established this PeVatron as a pulsar wind nebula type of cosmic ray source and is one of a few cases where scientists can identify the nature of PeVatrons.
Further details on Phys.org web portal.

29-May-2025
International Collaboration Meeting for High-Energy Missions in Japan
The XMM-Newton SOC and calibration team presented the status of the XMM-Newton instruments at the latest meeting of the International Astronomical Consortium for High-Energy Calibration (IACHEC) earlier this month. The meeting was held in Osaka (Japan) and was attended by representatives from most current X-ray telesocpes, like XRISM, Chandra, NuSTAR, NICER, and many more. All talks from the meeting are public and can be found here, in particular the XMM-Newton calibration status is avilable here.
Further details on IACHEC.org web portal.

11-April-2025
From boring to bursting: a giant black hole awakens
The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton is playing a crucial role in investigating unprecedented bursts of X-rays from a newly awakened black hole in the galaxy SDSS1335+0728. After being inactive for decades, the black hole suddenly began producing regular flashes of X-ray light in February 2024. These bursts, known as quasiperiodic eruptions (QPEs), are ten times longer and more luminous than typical QPEs, with a regular cadence of about 4.5 days. This rare event provides astronomers with a unique opportunity to study black hole behavior in real time and understand the mechanisms behind these powerful X-ray eruptions.
Further details on ESA.int web portal.

08-April-2025
Observations explore the persistent nature of X-ray binary 4U 0728-25
Using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite, Italian astronomers have observed a Galactic X-ray binary system known as 4U 0728-25. Results of the new observations, presented in a research paper published March 28 on the arXiv preprint server, shed more light on the persistent nature of this source. The system, located about 24,800 light-years away, comprises a Be star and a neutron star (pulsar) with a pulse period of approximately 103.3 seconds. The observations detected 4U 0728-25 at a luminosity level of 90 decillion erg/s (in the energy range 2–10 keV), which is the lowest level ever observed for this source since its discovery. The spectral analysis revealed the presence of a flux excess above the main power-law component, which can be described with a black body model with high temperature (about 1.5 keV) and small emission radius (some 240 meters).
Further details on Phys.org web portal.

1-April-2025
Into the X-ray Universe • Exploring Cosmic Secrets
Phenomena in the universe that are only visible in X-rays provide insights into the most extreme processes in the cosmos. Beyond the visible spectrum, high-energy events such as black holes, stellar explosions, and hot matter flows become observable. ESA’s XMM-Newton space telescope supplies the data for extensive sky surveys in the X-ray range. A key outcome of this work is a scientific catalogue based on automated source detection, which is regularly updated. Overlapping observations reveal temporal variability and lead to the discovery of previously unknown objects — a valuable resource for astrophysical research.
Further details on youtube.com.

13-March-2025
Astronomers discover new supergiant fast X-ray transient, expanding rare class
Using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite, Italian astronomers have identified a new supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT), designated 4XMM J181330.1-175110 (J1813). SFXTs are a rare subclass of high-mass X-ray binaries characterized by brief, intense X-ray flares lasting from minutes to over an hour, typically involving a compact object accreting material from the clumpy wind of a blue supergiant companion. J1813 was initially undetected during its quiescent state but exhibited multiple X-ray flares during an active phase, with peak luminosities (in the 2–12 keV band) ranging from 10 to 400 decillion erg/s. Analysis suggests that J1813 harbors a heavily absorbed B-type star with an effective temperature of approximately 32,000 K, located between 22,800 and 42,400 light-years away. This discovery expands the known population of SFXTs, providing further insights into these rare and enigmatic systems.
Further details on Phys.org web portal.