Charge coupled device (CCD), in silver tube case, as used in the XMM-Newton (X-Ray Multi Mirror) mission

This Charge Coupled Device is one of a set of three X-ray CCD cameras that comprise the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard The European Space Agency’s (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton).

The XMM-Newton mission, launched in 1999, is leading scientists to greater discoveries ranging from black holes to the origins of the Universe. The CCD in this collection belongs to the MOS camera, which improves on a conventional front illuminated CCD by engraving holes through enlarged electrodes. This means that soft X-rays are not absorbed into the electrodes as they would be with a conventional CCD.