XMM-Newton Science Archive

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.

欧洲航天局（ESA）的X射线多镜面任务（XMM-Newton）由一枚Ariane 504火箭于1999年12月10日发射升空。XMM-Newton构成了ESA 'Horizon 2000'科学计划的第二项基石。该任务搭载了3台高效能X射线望远镜，拥有史无前例的有效收集面积，以及一台光学监测器，这是首次在X射线天文观测站上使用。其广阔的收集面积和能够进行长时间不间断曝光的能力，为高灵敏度观测提供了可能。