Research sheds more light on the nature of a complex planetary nebula

Astronomers have carried out high-resolution observations of a complex planetary nebula generally known as NGC 1514. Outcomes of the examine present important details about morpho-kinematical construction and chemical composition of this nebula, which might assist researchers to raised perceive its nature. The analysis was revealed Could 4 on arXiv.org.

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are increasing shells of fuel and mud which were ejected from a star throughout the course of of its evolution from a important sequence star into a crimson large or white dwarf. They’re comparatively uncommon, however are necessary for astronomers learning the chemical evolution of stars and galaxies.

NGC 1514 is a PN in the Taurus constellation found by William Herschel in 1790, positioned more than likely between 650 and 980 light years away. It showcases a complex morphology that doesn’t clearly slot in the outlined morphological varieties. Furthermore, it hosts a peculiar central star, designated BD+30^◦623, that turned out to be a binary system with an orbital interval of about 3,300 days—the widest binary central star thus far detected.

A staff of astronomers led by Alba Aller of the Spanish Astrobiology Middle in Madrid, Spain, took a nearer have a look at NGC 1514 in an effort to examine its properties. They obtained high-resolution, long-slit optical spectra and pictures of this object utilizing the Calar Alto Faint Object Spectrograph (CAFOS) at the 2.2-m telescope on Calar Alto Observatory, the Manchester Echelle Spectrometer at the 2.1 m telescope on San Pedro Martir Observatory, and the Goodman Excessive Throughput Spectrograph on the 4.1m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope.

“On this work, we current high-resolution, long-slit spectra and pictures of NGC 1514 which permit us to explain intimately the inside kinematics and morphology of the nebula. As well as, we additionally current intermediate-resolution, long-slit spectra with the purpose of deriving their bodily circumstances and chemical abundances,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

Primarily based on the collected information, the astronomers generated a 3D mannequin of NGC 1514 that delivered important data concerning the important structural elements of this PN in addition to their kinematics. The mannequin means that NGC 1514 consists of an interior distorted shell (that was initially spherical) with some further and well-defined bubbles and an outer spherical hooked up shell.

The astronomers famous that NGC 1514 has additionally two well-defined, mid-infrared rings, what could point out that this nebula has a barrel-like construction. By evaluating these rings to comparable options in few different PNe, they discovered that the barrel-like construction in NGC 1514 has an inclination of roughly 28 levels.

The chemical evaluation of NGC 1514 has revealed that it’s a moderate-excitation nebula with emission traces of ionized argon, neon and helium. It was discovered that the PN has an electron temperature of about 15,000 Ok and an electron density between 2,000 and 4,000 cm⁻³.

Additional deeper and better decision spectroscopic observations of NGC 1514 are required in an effort to get hold of a more complete view of the chemical composition of this object.

Supply:arxiv.org/abs/2105.01495

Research sheds more light on the nature of a complex planetary nebula

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