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XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility

The AO-24 Call for Science Proposals is Closed.


Neither the XMM-Newton SOC/ESA nor the U.S. XMM-Newton GOF/NASA is involved in any publication or special journal edition celebrating the "25th Anniversary of Chandra and XMM-Newton". If you are invited to participate, please be aware that page charges may be applied.


Do you have an XMM grant? Do you think you may need a No-Cost Extension (NCE)?

Please know that the NSSC is no longer issuing reminders for the end dates of grants and they are no longer accepting NCE requests after the expiration date. If you miss the deadline to file a NCE, even by one day, the request will be denied.

Please make sure you know the end date of your grant so you can request an NCE in time!

XMM Highlights Stephen Walker The XMM GOF proudly showcases our Guest Observers!

The XMM-Newton Guest Observer Facility

XMM-Newton, the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, is the second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 program of the European Space Agency (ESA). XMM-Newton was launched on December 10 1999 at 14:32 GMT (09:32 EST). The observatory consists of three coaligned high throughput 7.5m focal length telescopes with 6 arc second FWHM (15 arc second HPD) angular resolution. With its large collecting area and X-ray and optical/UV bands, XMM greatly facilitates studies of objects ranging from clusters of galaxies to compact objects, and their inherent physical attibutes.

Besides having funded elements of the XMM-Newton instrument package, NASA also provides the NASA Guest Observer Facility (GOF) at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and funds a Guest Observer (GO) program to support the usage of XMM by the U.S. scientific community. The GOF provides a clearing house for project-generated technical information and analysis software as well as budget support for U.S. astronomers who apply for XMM-Newton observation time.

  • The US GOF plays a vital role in the compilation of the XMM Science Analysis System (SAS) and supports US GOs in their installation and use of SAS.
  • The GOF has developed accurate and precise algorithms for modeling the EPIC particle background in the Extended Source Analysis Software (ESAS) SAS tools.
  • The GOF continues to streamline data reduction.

XMM-Newton images over a 30 arc minute field of view with moderate spectral resolution. The European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) observes in the 0.2-12 keV band and consists of two MOS and one PN CCD arrays. High-resolution spectral information (E/dE~300 from 0.4-2.5 keV) is provided by the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) that deflects half of the beam on two of the X-ray telescopes. The observatory also has a coaligned 30 cm optical/UV telescope, the Optical Monitor (OM). More detailed information on the instruments can be found under Focal Plane Instrumentation in these pages and in the XMM-Newton Users' Handbook (GSFC or ESAC links).

These pages are intended for members of the scientific community. For members of the general public, or those interested in general astronomy/astrophysics information please go to our Education and Public Outreach site.

Latest News - Rev. 4523
  • XMM-Newton AO-24 Solicitation Released (20 Aug 2024)
    XMM-Newton observing proposals are solicited in response to the 24th Announcement of Opportunity.
  • XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue: 4XMM-DR14 Released (9 Jul 2024)
    14th release of the 4XMM Serendipitous Source Catalogue
  • XMM-Newton AO-23 Results Released (11 Dec 2023)
    The list of XMM-Newton observing proposals accepted by the AO-23 Observing Time Allocation Committee is now available.
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