X-rays from wind-blown bubbles: an XMM-Newton detection of NGC 2359

Abstract

We present an analysis of the XMM-Newton observation of the wind-blown bubble NGC 2359. This is the first detection of this object in X-rays. The X-ray emission of NGC 2359 is soft and originates from a thermal plasma with a typical temperature of kT ∼ 0.2 keV. A direct comparison between the one-dimensional hydrodynamic model of wind-blown bubbles and the X-ray spectrum of NGC 2359 suggests a reduced mass-loss rate of the central star in order to provide the correct value of the observed flux. The central star of the nebula, WR 7, is an X-ray source. Its emission is similar to that of other presumably single Wolf-Rayet stars detected in X-rays. The WR 7 spectrum is well represented by the emission from a two-temperature plasma with a cool component of kT ∼ 0.6 keV and a hot component of kT ∼ 2.7 keV.