XMM-Newton 1:4 Scale Model
XMM-Newton 1:4 Scale Model
XMM-Newton is an X-ray space observatory launched by ESA in 1999. This model is quarter scale, the real telescope is over ten metres long with solar panels spanning 16 metres. XMM stands for X-ray Multi Mirror which refers to XMM’s three advanced X-ray telescopes, each containing 58 mirrors. The mirrors are extremely thin, about a quarter of the width of a human hair. Their cylindrical shape allows them to fit concentrically inside each other. This creates a total surface area of nearly the size of a tennis court, to capture incoming X-rays.Studying the X-rays allows astronomers to look back in time at hot objects created when the universe was young. This must be done from space, as X-rays are blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere. XMM Newton is trying to find out many different things; from what happens around and inside black holes, to how galaxies were formed in the early universe.
One of XMM-Newton’s important breakthroughs was measuring for the first time the influence of the gravitational field of a neutron star on the light it emits. This helped astronomers to better understand the composition of these dense remains of exploded stars.
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More information
Object number
2001-4
Location
The Universe Gallery
Has this object been into space?
No
Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit
Depth: 1.0m
Height: 2.5m
Width: 4.0m
Material
Metal
Plastic
Associated Organisation
ESA
Object Production Date
Circa 2000
Object Production Organisation
Hupkens Industrial Models
Object Production Place
Netherlands
On Display Status
On display
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