XMM-Newton Weighs Up A Rare White Dwarf And Finds It To Be A Heavyweight

Paris, France (ESA) Sep 09, 2009 -
XMM-Newton observations of the X-ray pulsator RX J0648.0-4418, timed to also cover the phase when the source was expected to be eclipsed by its companion, have resulted in a solid, model-independent mass estimation of this object. It appears to be a rare, ultra-massive white dwarf, whose continued study promises to provide sensitive tests for stellar evolution theories. Sandro Mereghetti and colleagues present these results in the 4 September issue of Science.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/XMM_Newton_Weighs_Up_A_Rare_White_Dwarf_And_Finds_It_To_Be_A_Heavyweight_999.html