086389

We have discovered a new type of brief but very energetic flaring phenomenon in two X-ray sources associated with old comma compact star clusters around nearby galaxies. These sources flare by factors of >100 to X-ray luminosities 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than the Eddington limit of a neutron star on time scales of <1 minute comma yet the process does not destroy the object. These flares represent the most energetic sources ever discovered in globular clusters. We propose XMM-Newton observations of one of these sources that flares repeatedly to catch the flare with the pn to provide better timing and spectra during a flare to constrain the mass and emission mechanism of these intriguing objects.