ESA Satellite Observatory Surveys the Sky
Posted on: Wednesday, 3 May 2006, 18:00 CDT
The Paris-based European Space Agency says its XMM-Newton X-ray satellite observatory has produced a survey covering 25 percent of the sky.
The XMM-Newton -- while slewing between different targets -- has kept its cameras open, and the result is a free-of-charge mission spin-off survey.
The Paris-based ESA says the rapid slewing of the satellite means a star or a galaxy passes in the field of view of the telescope for only 10 seconds. However, the great collecting area of the XMM-Newton's mirrors, coupled with the efficiency of its image sensors, is allowing detection of thousands of sources.
By comparing XMM-Newton's data with those obtained more than a decade ago by the international ROSAT mission, scientists can check the long-term evolution of about two thousand objects in the sky.
ESA astronomers Wednesday released a part of the catalogue resulting from the initial processing of the highest quality XMM-Newton data obtained so far.
Such data correspond to about 15 percent sky coverage and include more than 2,700 very bright sources and 2,000 sources of lower significance.
Plans call for the catalogue to be continually updated.
Source: United Press International
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