First ever dedicated X-ray observation of the enigmatic hypergiant IRC+10420

The hypergiant IRC+10420 is most probably a massive star evolving from the redsupergiant phase to the WolfRayet phase, crossing a particular location in theHR diagram called the yellow void where stars are extremely rare and aredynamically unstable. This makes this object unique for the study of earlytypestar evolution, and the investigation of physical processes related to massivestars. Although several studies have been devoted to this enigmatic object inthe infrared, it never benefited from a dedicated Xray observation. We requesta XMM observation of IRC+10420 aiming at characterizing for the first time itsXray properties, and probe a part of the physics of this object that is notaccessible at other wavelengths. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]