Endpoints of stellar evolution : X-ray surveys of the Local Group.

The galaxies of the Local Group offer a variety of settings in which to study galactic source populations unhampered by local interstellar-absorption and distance ambiguities. A review of the subject of Local Group X-ray astronomy from the first discovery of a source in the Large Magellanic Cloud 15 years ago to the most recent analysis of the Einstein Observatory data (in which over 200 X-ray sources were detected in Local Group members) is presented. Following a detailed presentation of the latest results, two examples of the constraints these data impose on stellar and galactic evolution are discussed: study of the distribution of properties for the 30 detected supernova remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and a comparison of the populations of classical X-ray binaries in M31, M33, the Magellanic Clouds, and the Galaxy. A prospectus for future research, including a discussion of the contributions which could be made by the next generation of X-ray observatories, is provided.