XMM-Newton uncovers a celestial Rosetta stone

Thursday, September 3, 2009 - 13:35 in Astronomy & Space

ESA's XMM-Newton orbiting X-ray telescope has uncovered a celestial Rosetta stone: the first close-up of a white dwarf star, circling a companion star, that could explode into a particular kind of supernova in a few million years. These supernovae are used as beacons to measure cosmic distances and ultimately understand the expansion of our Universe.

Read the whole article on European Space Agency

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