We present a detailed comparative study of the arcs and fragmented ring-like features in the haloes of the planetary nebulae (PNe) NGC 6543, NGC 7009, and NGC 7027 and the spiral pattern around the carbon star AFGL 3068 using high-quality multi-epoch HST images. This comparison allows us to investigate the connection and possible evolution between the regular patterns surrounding AGB stars and the irregular concentric patterns around PNe. The radial proper motion of these features, ~15 km/s, are found to be consistent with the AGB wind and their linear sizes and inter-lapse times (500-1900 yr) also agree with those found around AGB stars, suggesting a common origin. We find evidence using radiative-hydrodynamic simulations that regular patterns produced at the end of the AGB phase become highly distorted by their interactions with the expanding PN and the anisotropic illumination and ionization patterns caused by shadow instabilities. These processes will disrupt the regular (mostly spiral) patterns around AGB stars, plausibly becoming the arcs and fragmented rings observed in the haloes of PNe.
We present a spectral line survey of the proto-planetary nebula AFGL 2688 in the frequency ranges of 71-111 GHz, 157-160 GHz, and 218-267 GHz using the Arizona Radio Observatory 12m telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope. A total of 143 individual spectral features associated with 32 different molecular species and isotopologues were identified. The molecules C3H, CH3CN, H2CO, H2CS, and HCO+ were detected for the first time in this object. By comparing the integrated line strengths of different transitions, we are able to determine the rotation temperatures, column densities,…
We present high-resolution (30 mas or 130 au at 4.2 kpc) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations at 1.2 mm of the disc around the forming O-type star AFGL 4176 mm1. The disc (AFGL 4176 mm1-main) has a radius of ~1000 au and contains significant structure, most notably a spiral arm on its redshifted side. We fitted the observed spiral with logarithmic and Archimedean spiral models. We find that both models can describe its structure, but the Archimedean spiral with a varying pitch angle fits its morphology marginally better. As well as signatures of rotation across the disc, w…
The chemical composition of high-mass protostars reflects the physical evolution associated with different stages of star formation. In this study, the molecular inventory of the forming high-mass star AFGL 4176 is studied in detail at high angular resolution (~0.35 arcsec) using ALMA. This high resolution makes it possible to separate the emission associated with the inner hot envelope and disk around the forming star from that of its cool outer envelope. In addition, the high sensitivity of ALMA makes it possible to identify weak and optically thin lines and allows for many isotopologues to …
Planetary nebulae (PNe) can be roughly categorized into several broad morphological classes. The high quality images of PNe acquired in recent years, however, have revealed a wealth of fine structures that preclude simplistic models for their formation. Here we present narrow-band, sub-arcsecond images of a sample of relatively large PNe that illustrate the complexity and variety of small-scale structures. This is especially true for bipolar PNe, for which the images reveal multi-polar ejections and, in some cases, suggest turbulent gas motions. Our images also reveal the presence or signs of …
Preplanetary nebulae and planetary nebulae are evolved, mass-losing stellar objects that show a wide variety of morphologies. Many of these nebulae consist of outer structures that are nearly spherical (spiral/shell/arc/halo) and inner structures that are highly asymmetric (bipolar/multipolar). The coexistence of such geometrically distinct structures is enigmatic because it hints at the simultaneous presence of both wide and close binary interactions, a phenomenon that has been attributed to stellar binary systems with eccentric orbits. Here we report new high-resolution molecular-line observ…
We present the images of a \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} (\textit{HST}/WFC3) snapshot program of angularly compact Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe), acquired with the aim of studying their size, evolutionary status, and morphology. PNe that are smaller than $\sim4\arcsec$ are underrepresented in most morphological studies, and today they are less well studied than their immediate evolutionary predecessors, the pre-planetary nebulae. The images have been acquired in the light of [\ion{O}{3}]$\lambda5007$, which is commonly used to classify the PN morphology, in the UV continuum with the aim o…
Characterizing the Post-Red Supergiant binary system AFGL 4106 and its complex nebula with SPHERE/VLT
Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange（蔚蓝海岸大学、蔚蓝海岸天文台、法国国家科学研究中心、拉格朗日实验室）；Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile（圣地亚哥德智利大学物理系）；Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Exploration (CIRAS), USACH（天体物理学与太空探索跨学科研究中心（CIRAS））；Royal Observatory of Belgium（比利时皇家天文台）；School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leeds（利兹大学物理与天文学学院）
The multi-epoch YJKs sub-arcsecond photometry of the VMC survey provides a long anticipated deep near-infrared (NIR) window into further understanding the stellar populations of the Magellanic Clouds. The first year of observations consisted of six tiles covering ~9% of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) survey region and contains 102 objects previously classified as planetary nebulae (PNe). A large proportion of the sample were found to be contaminated by non-PNe. These initial results underline the importance of establishing a clean catalogue of LMC PNe before they are applied in areas such as…
We report the discovery of two mid-infrared nebulae in the northern hemisphere with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and the results of optical spectroscopy of their central stars, BD+60 2668 (composed of two components, separated from each other by \approx 3 arcsec) and ALS 19653, with the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), respectively. We classify the components of BD+60 2668 as stars of spectral types B0.5 II and B1.5 III. ALS 19653 is indicated in the SIMBAD data base as a planetary nebula, while our observations show that it is a massive B0…
Ancient 'ghost' planetary nebulae discovered with amateur telescopes
Asociación Astronómica AstroHenares（AstroHenares天文协会）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias（加那利天体物理学研究所）；Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna（拉帕尔马大学天体物理系）；Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN-IGN)（国家天文台（OAN-IGN））；Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Landessternwarte（海德堡大学天文中心，州立天文台）
The Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) is a large integral field unit mounted on the ESO Very Large Telescope. Its spatial (60 arcsecond field) and wavelength (4800-9300A) coverage is well suited to detailed imaging spectroscopy of extended planetary nebulae, such as in the Galaxy. An overview of the capabilities of MUSE applied to planetary nebulae (PNe) is provided together with the specific advantages and disadvantages. Some examples of archival MUSE observations of PNe are provided. MUSE datacubes for two targets (NGC 3132 and NGC 7009) have been analysed in detail and they are used …
Integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopy of planetary nebulae (PNe) provides a plethora of information about their morphologies and ionization structures. An IFU survey of a sample of PNe around hydrogen-deficient stars has been conducted with the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) on the ANU 2.3-m telescope. In this paper, we present the H$α$ kinematic observations of the PN M2-42 with a weak emission-line star ($wels$), and the compact PNe Hen 3-1333 and Hen 2-113 around Wolf-Rayet ([WR]) stars from this WiFeS survey. We see that the ring and point-symmetric knots previously identified in the vel…
The majority of planetary nebulae (PNe) show axisymmetric morphologies, whose causes are not well understood. In this work, we present spatially resolved kinematic observations of 14 Galactic PNe surrounding Wolf-Rayet ([WR]) and weak emission-line stars ($wels$) based on the H$α$ and [N II] emission taken with the Wide Field Spectrograph on the Australian National University 2.3-m telescope. Velocity-resolved channel maps and position--velocity diagrams, together with archival Hubble Space Telescope ($HST$) and ground-based images, are employed to construct three-dimensional morpho-kinematic …
We present high-resolution, long-slit spectroscopic observations of five compact ($\leq$ 10 arcsec) planetary nebulae located close to the galactic bulge region and for which no high spatial resolution images are available. The data have been drawn from the San Pedro Mártir kinematic catalogue of galactic planetary nebulae (López et al. 2012). The central star in four of these objects (M 1-32, M 2-20, M 2-31 and M 3-15) is of WR-type and the fifth object (M 2-42) has a wels type nucleus. These observations reveal the presence in all of them of a dense and thick equatorial torus-like component …
We present narrow-band Halpha and [OIII] images, and high-resolution, long-slit spectra of the planetary nebulae (PNe) Abell36, DeHt2, and RWT152 aimed at studying their morphology and internal kinematics. These data are complemented with intermediate-resolution, long-slit spectra to describe the spectral properties of the central stars and nebulae. The morphokinematical analysis shows that Abell36 consists of an inner spheroid and two bright point-symmetric arcs; DeHt2 is elliptical with protruding polar regions and a bright non-equatorial ring; and RWT152 is bipolar. The formation of Abell36…
The iconic planetary nebula (PN) NGC 7027 is bright, nearby (D ~ 1 kpc), highly ionized, intricately structured, and well observed. This nebula is hence an ideal case study for understanding PN shaping and evolution processes. Accordingly, we have conducted a comprehensive imaging survey of NGC 7027 comprised of twelve HST Wide Field Camera 3 images in narrow-band and continuum filters spanning the wavelength range 0.243--1.67 microns. The resulting panchromatic image suite reveals the spatial distributions of emission lines covering low-ionization species such as singly ionized Fe, N, and Si,…
Ionized Nebulae Around Two New Symbiotic Stars: GR Cygni and [D75] 141
Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Rocket Girls Ranch Observatory（火箭女孩牧场天文台）；Eklund Smurf Observatory（埃克伦德史密夫天文台）；Deep Space Imaging Network（深空成像网络）；INAF National Institute of Astrophysics, Astronomical Observatory of Padova（意大利国家天体物理研究所帕多瓦天文台）；Stark Bayou Observatory（斯塔克湾天文台）；Hobby-Eberly Telescope, University of Texas at Austin（霍比-埃伯利望远镜，得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）
We have obtained new velocity-resolved spectra of the [CII] 158 micron line towards the Ring Nebula in Lyra (NGC 6720), one of the best-studied planetary nebulae, in order to probe its controversial 3-dimensional structure and to estimate the mass of circumstellar material in this object. We used the Terahertz receiver GREAT aboard the SOFIA airborne telescope to obtain the [CII] spectra at eight locations within and outside the bright optical ring of NGC 6720. Emission was detected at all positions except for the most distant position along the nebula's minor axis, and generally covers a broa…
The onset of the asymmetry in planetary nebulae (PNe) occurs during the short transition between the end of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase and the beginning of the PN phase. Sources in this transition phase are compact and emit intensely in infrared wavelengths, making high spatial resolution observations in the infrared mandatory to investigate the shaping process of PNe. Interferometric VLTI IR observations have revealed compelling evidence of disks at the cores of PNe, but the limited sensitivity, strong observational constraints, and limited spatial coverage place severe limits on…
HuBi 1 has been proposed to be member of the rare class of born-again planetary nebulae (PNe), i.e., its central star experienced a very late thermal pulse and ejected highly-processed material at high speeds inside the old hydrogen-rich PN. In this letter we present GTC MEGARA integral field spectroscopic observations of the innermost regions of HuBi 1 at high spectral resolution $\simeq16$ km s$^{-1}$ and multi-epoch sub-arcsec images obtained $\simeq 12$ yr apart. The analysis of these data indicates that the inner regions of HuBi 1 were ejected $\simeq200$ yr ago and expand at velocities $…
During the transition from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) to Planetary Nebulae (PN), the circumstellar geometry and morphology change dramatically. Another characteristic of this transition is the high mass loss rate, that can be partially explained by radiation pressure and a combination of various factors like the stellar pulsation, the dust grain condensation and opacity in the upper atmosphere. The magnetic field can also be one of the main ingredients that shapes the stellar upper atmosphere and envelope. Our main goal is to investigate for the first time the spatial distribution of th…
We report the discovery of a planetary nebula centered on the poorly studied symbiotic binary star DT Ser. In a few other symbiotic stars spatially resolved nebulae have been discovered: however, only one of them might be a genuine planetary nebula, while the others are likely to originate in complex mass ejections episodes from the interacting binary central stars, possibly related to nova-like outbursts. The rim of the planetary nebula around DT Ser is severely distorted toward a brighter star, 5 arcsec away. In infrared WISE data, this star shows the presence of a detached cold dust shell s…
Bipolar planetary nebulae (PNe) are thought to result from binary star interactions and, indeed, tens of binary central stars of PNe have been found, in particular using photometric time-series that allow detecting post-common envelope systems. Using photometry at the NTT in La Silla we have studied the bright object close to the centre of PN M3-2 and found it to be an eclipsing binary with an orbital period of 1.88 days. However, the components of the binary appear to be two A or F stars, of almost equal masses, and are thus too cold to be the source of ionisation of the nebula. Using deep im…
An Halpha survey of infrared bow-shocks around OB-type stars
Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Science（捷克科学院天文研究所）；Astronomical Institute, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University（查理大学数学物理学院天文研究所）；Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu（塔尔图大学塔尔图天文台）；Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院物理研究所）
