The Messenger Astronomical Science

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive Stars at Low Metallicity

Authors
  • Vink, Jorick S. [Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, UK]
  • Crowther, Paul [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Sheffield, UK]
  • Fullerton, Alex [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA]
  • Garcia, Miriam [Centre for Astrobiology (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain]
  • Martins, Fabrice [Montpellier Universe and Particles Laboratory, Montpellier University, France]
  • Morrell, Nidia [Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, Chile]
  • Oskinova, Lida [Institute for Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Germany]
  • St Louis, Nicole [Department of Physics, University of Montreal, Canada]
  • ud-Doula, Asif [Penn State Scranton, Dunmore, PA, USA]
  • Sander, Andreas [Astronomy Centre, Heidelberg University, Germany]
  • Sana, Hugues [Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium]
  • Bouret, Jean-Claude [Aix Marseille University, CNRS, CNES, LAM, Marseille, France]
  • Kubatova, Brankica [Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ondřejov, Czech Republic]
  • Marchant, Pablo [Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium]
  • Martins, Lucimara P. [NAT – São Paulo City University, Brazil]
  • Wofford, Aida [Institute of Astronomy, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ensenada, Mexico]
  • van Loon, Jacco [Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, UK]
  • Telford, O. Grace [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Pasadena, USA; Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, USA]
  • Götberg, Ylva [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Pasadena, USA]
  • Bowman, Dominic [Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium; School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle University, UK]
  • Erba, Christi [Physics and Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, USA]
  • Kalari, Venu [Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab, La Serena, Chile]
  • and The XShootU Collaboration

Section
Astronomical Science
Abstract

The Hubble Space Telescope has devoted 500 orbits to observing 250 massive stars with low metallicity in the ultraviolet (UV) range within the framework of the ULLYSES program. The X-Shooting ULLYSES (XShootU) project enhances the legacy value of this UV dataset by providing high-quality optical and near-infrared spectra, which are acquired using the wide-wavelength- coverage X-shooter spectrograph at ESO’s Very Large Telescope. XShootU emphasises the importance of combining UV with optical spectra for the consistent determination of key stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity, abundances, and wind characteristics including mass-loss rates as a function of metallicity. Since uncertainties in these parameters have implications across various branches of astrophysics, the data and modelling generated by the XShootU project are poised to significantly advance our understanding of massive stars at low metallicity. This is particularly crucial for confidently interpreting James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data of the earliest stellar generations, making XShootU a unique resource for comprehending individual spectra of low-metallicity stars.


Dates
Created: 2024-03-01/2024-03-31
Length
6 pages

Cite this article:

Vink, J., Crowther, P., Fullerton, A., Garcia, M., Martins, F., Morrell, N., Oskinova, L., St Louis, N., ud-Doula, A., Sander, A., Sana, H., Bouret, J., Kubatova, B., Marchant, P., Martins, L., Wofford, A., van Loon, J., Telford, O., Götberg, Y., Bowman, D., Erba, C., Kalari, V., and The XShootU Collaboration; X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive Stars at Low Metallicity. The Messenger 192 (March 2024): 16–21. https://doi.org/10.18727/0722-6691/5350