452 research outputs found
The tails in the Helix Nebula NGC 7293
We have examined a stream-source model for the production of the cometary
tails observed in the Helix Nebula NGC 7293 in which a transonic or moderately
supersonic stream of ionized gas overruns a source of ionized gas. Hydrodynamic
calculations reveal velocity structures which are in good agreement with the
observational data on tail velocities and are consistent with observations of
the nebular structure. The results also are indicative of a stellar atmosphere
origin for the cometary globules. Tail remnants persist for timescales long
enough for their identification with faint striations visible in the nebula gas
to be plausible.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The Manchester occulting mask imager (MOMI) - first results on the environment of P Cygni
The design and first use of the Manchester occulting mask imager (MOMI) is
described. This device, when combined with the Cassegrain or Ritchey-Chretien
foci of large telescopes, is dedicated to the imagery of faint line emission
regions around bright central sources.
Initial observations, with MOMI on the Nordic Optical telescope (NOT), of the
V=4.8 mag P~Cygni environment, have revealed a ~5~arcmin long [NII] 6584A
emitting filament projecting from the outer nebular shell of this luminous blue
variable (LBV) star. The presence of a mono-polar lobe older than both the
inner (22 arcsec diameter) and outer (1.6 arcmin diameter) shells is suggested.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted MNRAS 1998 June 1
Optical line profiles of the Helix planetary nebula (NGC 7293) to large radii
New, very long (25'), cuts of spatially resolved profiles of the Halpha and
[N II] optical emission lines have been obtained over the face of the Helix
planetary nebula, NGC 7293. These directions were chosen to supplement previous
similar, though shorter, cuts as well as crossing interesting phenomena in this
nebular envelope. In particular one new cut crosses the extremes of the
proposed CO J=2-1 emitting outer "torus" shown by Huggins and his co-workers to
be nearly orthogonal to its inner counterpart. The second new cut crosses the
extensive outer filamentary arcs on either side of the bright nebular core. It
is shown that NGC 7293 is composed of multiple bipolar outflows along different
axes. Hubble-type outflows over a dynamical timescale of 11,000 years are shown
to be occurring for all the phenomena from the smallest He II emitting core out
to the largest outer filamentary structure. All must then have been ejected
over a short timescale but with a range of ejection velocitiesComment: 14 pages, 7 figures, MNRAS in pres
High speed outflows driven by the 30 Doradus starburst
Echelle spectroscopy has been carried out towards a sample region of the halo
of the giant HII region 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This new
kinematical data is the amongst the most sensitive yet obtained for this nebula
and reveals a wealth of faint, complex high speed features. These are
interpreted in terms of localised shells due to individual stellar winds and
supernova explosions, and collections of discrete knots of emission that still
retain the velocity pattern of the giant shells from which they fragmented. The
high speed velocity features may trace the base of the superwind that emanates
from the 30 Doradus starburst, distributed around the super star cluster R136.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
The kinematics of the bi-lobal supernova remnant G 65.3+5.7 - Paper II
Further deep, narrow-band images in the light of [O III] 5007 A have been
added to the previous mosaic of the faint galactic supernova remnant G
65.3+5.7. Additionally longslit spatially resolved [O III] 5007 A line profiles
have been obtained at sample positions using the Manchester Echelle
Spectrometer at the San Pedro Martir observatory. The remnant is shown to be
predominantly bi-lobal with an EW axis for this structure. However, a faint
additional northern lobe has now been revealed.
Splitting of the profiles along the slit lengths, when extrapolated to the
remnant's centre, although uncertain suggests that the expansion velocity of
this remnant is between 124 and 187 km/s ie much lower than the 400 km/s
previously predicted for the forward shock velocity from the X-ray emission.
An expansion proper motion measurement of 2.1+-0.4 arcsec in 48 years for the
remnant's filamentary edge in the light of Halpha+[N II] has also been made.
When combined with an expansion velocity of ~155 km/s, a distance of ~800 pc to
G 65.3+5.7 is derived.
Several possibilities are considered for the large difference in the
expansion velocity measured here and the 400 km/s shock velocity required to
generate the X-ray emission. It is also suggested that the morphology of the
remnant may be created by a tilt in the galactic magnetic field in this
vicinity.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Galactic Twins of the Ring Nebula Around SN1987A and a Possible LBV-like Phase for Sk-69 202
Some core-collapse supernovae show clear signs of interaction with dense
circumstellar material that often appears to be non-spherical. Circumstellar
nebulae around supernova progenitors provide clues to the origin of that
asymmetry in immediate pre-supernova evolution. Here I discuss outstanding
questions about the formation of the ring nebula around SN1987A and some
implications of similar ring nebulae around Galactic B supergiants. Several
clues hint that SN1987A's nebula may have been ejected in an LBV-like event,
rather than through interacting winds in a transition from a red supergiant to
a blue supergiant.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in procedings of "Massive stars: fundamental
parameters and circumstellar interactions", conference in honor of Virpi
Niemela's 70th birthda
A high-speed bi-polar outflow from the archetypical pulsating star Mira A
Optical images and high-dispersion spectra have been obtained of the ejected
material surrounding the pulsating AGB star Mira A. The two streams of knots on
either side of the star, found in far ultra-viollet (FUV) GALEX images, have
now been imaged clearly in the light of Halpha. Spatially resolved profiles of
the same line reveal that the bulk of these knots form a bi-polar outflow with
radial velocity extremes of +- 150 km/s with respect to the central star. The
South stream is approaching and the North stream receding from the observer. A
displacement away from Mira A between the position of one of the South stream
knots in the new Halpha image and its position in the previous Palomar
Observatory Sky Survey (POSS I) red plate has been noted. If interpreted as a
consequence of expansion proper motions the bipolar outflow is tilted at 69deg
+- 2deg to the plane of the sky, has an outflow velocity of 160 +- 10 km/s and
is ~1000 y old.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for pubication by A&
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