Abstract
We report the results of XMM-Newton observations for an especially luminous supersoft X-ray source (SSS) with a bolometric luminosity of 10 39 ergs s -1 in the spiral galaxy NGC 300. The source was detected as an SSS in 1992 and disappeared in subsequent X-ray observations. The source was active again during recent XMM-Newton observations. It appeared to be very soft (kT ∼ 60 eV) and very luminous (∼10 38 -10 39 ergs s -1 ). The two XMM-Newton observations also reveal that the source went from a "high" state to a "low" state in 6 days. We also found a 5.4 hr periodicity during the low state. We consider white dwarf, black hole, and neutron star models in order to explain the nature of the source.