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At least 271 records · Page 15
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NASA NTRS1988

Spectroscopic observations of the high-ionization planetary nebula NGC 2242 and the H II region K4-45

New optical spectra of two suspected planetary nebulae, K4-45 and NGC 2242, are presented. It is shown that K4-45 (PK 96 + 1) is a reddened H II region with approximately solar abundances, excited by an early B type star. NGC 2242 (PK 170 + 15) is a planetary nebula of exceptionally high ionization, exhibiting He II, and forbidden Ne V, Ar V, Ne III, and O III emission lines. The lack of He I emission and the presence of strong forbidden Ne V and He II emission indicate an optically thin nebula that is ionized by a central star with an effective temperature greater than 100,000 K.

Garnett, Donald R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A recent change in the brightness and form of the HH46 reflection nebula

A several-fold increase in the surface brightness of the scattered light component of the southern Herbig-Haro object HH46 took place between January 1984 and May 1986. A more subtle change in the shape of the nebula also occurred in that a small region, formerly only prominent in the infrared, is now the brightest part of the reflection nebula in visible red light. The change is due either to a flaring of the adjacent but still invisible young stellar object or to a partial clearing of the dust which still surrounds it. In May 1987, the nebula still appeared bright suggesting that the change may be a long-term one.

Graham, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Scattering of sodium D photons by neutral gas in the planetary nebula BD +30 deg 3639

Observations of the planetary nebula BD +30 deg 3639 are presented. It is shown that the Na DS photons emitted by the central star of the nebula are scattered by a neutral circumnebular envelope. These observations demonstrate the utility of optical absorption lines as tracers of the neutral material associated with planetary nebulae.

Dinerstein, Harriet L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The ionization structure of planetary nebulae. IX - NGC 1535

The ionization structure of planetary nebula NGC 1535 was investigated using spectrophotometric observations of emission-line intensities over the spectral range 1400-7200 A, which were carried out in five positions in this nebula. The results obtained on the ionic abundances of He, O, N, Ne, C, and Ar in NGC 1535 suggest that it is a planetary nebula that formed initially in a somewhat metal-poor region and has undergone little or no enhancement of its original abundances by mixing with nuclear-processed material.

Barker, Timothy↗
NASA NTRS1989

Magnetic reconnection flares in the protoplanetary nebula and the possible origin of meteorite chondrules

A possible episodic heating mechanism that could account for chondrule formation is discussed. The mechanism involves the transient release of energy as a result of magnetic flares in the corona of the protosolar nebula. The possible magnetic behavior of the protosolar nebula is outlined, based on meteorite paleomagnetic evidence about the magnetic field of the protoplanetary nebula and observations of the behavior of magnetic fields. The thermal balance in the melting of a chondrule precursor dust ball is examined. Observational evidence supporting the proposed heating mechanism is presented.

Lavy, Eugene H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Non-equilibrium chemistry in the solar nebula and early solar system: Implications for the chemistry of comets

Theoretical models of solar nebula and early solar system chemistry which take into account the interplay between chemical, physical, and dynamical processes have great utility for deciphering the origin and evolution of the abundant chemically reactive volatiles (H, O, C, N, S) observed in comets. In particular, such models are essential for attempting to distinguish between presolar and solar nebula products and for quantifying the nature and duration of nebular and early solar system processing to which the volatile constituents of comets have been subjected. The diverse processes and energy sources responsible for chemical processing in the solar nebula and early solar system are discussed. The processes considered include homogeneous and heterogeneous thermochemical and photochemical reactions, and disequilibration resulting from fluid transport, condensation, and cooling whenever they occur on timescales shorter than those for chemical reactions.

Fegley, Bruce, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Near-infrared morphology of protoplanetary nebulae - The icy dust torus of Minkowski's Footprint (M1-92)

High-resolution near-infrared images and ice-band spectra of the protoplanetary nebula M1-92 (Minkowski's Footprint) are presented. The direct images of the object display a typical bipolar morphology with the star located in the center of the nebula illuminating two lobes. The overall dimensions are the same in the J, H, and K infrared bands, and they are similar to those in the optical range. The near-infrared color images clearly reveal a dust torus around the central star. The orientation of the object in the plane of the sky allows the simultaneous view of the illuminating star, the nebular lobes, and the dust torus in a highly favorable perspective, only rarely found in other bipolar nebulae. The ice-band spectra make it possible to locate the H2O-ice grains within the dust torus; in addition, the narrow ice feature indicates that the ices are primarily pure crystalline water.

Eiroa, C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Early stages of accumulation in the solar nebula

Coagulation of grains in the solar nebula should result in formation of low-density aggregates with fractal structure. The opacity of the nebula remains much higher than computed for the assumption that particles are compact. Timescales for particle growth, settling to the central plane of the nebula, and formation of planetesimals are lengthened significantly.

Weidenschilling, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Chemical heterogeneity and imperfect mixing in the solar nebula

The 'standard' accretion-disk model of the solar nebula is examined together with its basic equations, which are solved for the steady-state case. It is shown that, for this model of the solar nebula, the efficiency of mixing the products of thermochemical processing from small to large disk radii depends not on the magnitude of the eddy diffusivity but only on the ratio k between the eddy diffusivity and the eddy viscosity. In most cases, this ratio k is probably of order of unity or less, implying that most of the solar nebula was not contaminated by the consequences of thermochemical equilibria that were established at 'small' disk radii. It is noted that, while this condition is almost certainly satisfied if the physical process responsible for viscosity is thermal convection or waves, it has uncertain validity during the early phases of disk evolution where accretion-induced shear instabilities may dominate.

Stevenson, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

On the formation of ansae in planetary nebulae

Formation mechanisms for the two optical bright knots in planetary nebulae, 'ansae', are investigated. Adiabatic two-dimensional numerical simulations of the interacting winds flow at early stages of the planetary nebulae evolution are performed. It is found that no real focusing of the shocked fast wind material toward the symmetry axis occurs, and thus the interaction of winds by itself will not form the ansae. A model is proposed, in which jets from the central star form the ansae. These jets are presumably being formed during the few hundred years in the period between the end of the slow wind and the beginning of the fast wind. It is shown that a companion to the progenitor red giant can lead to the degree of asymmetry observed in elliptical planetary nebulae.

Soker, Noam↗
NASA NTRS1990

The IRAS low-resolution spectra of planetary nebulae

This paper presents the low-resolution spectra of 170 planetary nebulae observed by IRAS, most of which were not included in the Atlas of Low-Resolution Spectra. These have been classified into eight groups based upon the spectral morphology, with emphasis on the dust continuum rather than the spectral lines. The Low-Resolution Spectrometer (LRS) spectra are nearly evenly divided between spectra which show only a dust continuum with no lines, and spectra where there are strong lines with a dust continuum appearing longwards of about 15 microns. A study has been made of the strength of the 11.3-micron PAH emission feature as a function of the nebular C/O ratio, combining ground-based and LRS data. The C/O ratio for IC 2621 is derived from IUE spectra and used in this study. The 11.3-micron feature is present with essentially constant strength in all nebulae with C/O above about 1. Only marginal evidence exists for its presence below C/O about 1 and then at a level about 5 times lower than in carbon-rich nebulae.

Volk, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1990

Large planetary nebulae and their significance to the late stages of stellar evolution

Spectrophotometry of 75 large PNe with Shklovsky radii greater than 0.15 pc is presented and used to calculate nebular parameters and compositions, stellar Zanstra temperatures and luminosities, and core masses. Nine new Peimbert type I nebulae are identified. About 40 percent of the stars that are on cooling tracks are above 0.7 solar mass, and over 15 percent are above 0.8 solar mass. The large planetaries demonstrate a clear positive correlation between nitrogen enrichment and core mass. N/O is anticorrelated with O/H. The radii of the nebulae whose stars lie along specific cooling tracks increase monotonically with decreasing central star temperature. For a given central temperature, the nebular radii also increase with increasing core mass, showing that in this part of the log L-log T plane the higher mass cores evolve more slowly in agreement with theoretical prediction. However, theoretical evolutionary rates for the large nebulae stars appear to be much too slow.

Kaler, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A survey for PAH emission in H II regions, planetary and proto-planetary nebulae

The results of a systematic investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission in H II regions, planetary nebulae (PN), and proto-planetary nebulae (PNN), are reported. Data is obtained from the low resolution spectra (LRS) of IRAS. The results show that: PAHs are formed in carbon rich objects; and PAH emission is ubiquitous in general interstellar medium and requires the presence of ultraviolet photons, in planetary and proto-planetary nebulae, PAH emission is seen only where an ionizing flux is present and in carbon rich objects.

Demuizon, M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Neutral matter in planetary nebulae

A review of current studies of neutral envelopes is presented with particular attention given to the use of the envelopes as test cases for understanding the ionization and thermal structure of photodissociation regions. The study of near-IR H2 emission is discussed with detailed spectra given for a few planetary nebulae, and airborne observations of far-IR atomic lines are discussed. These two methods can discern photodissociation regions with warm gas and UV flux is fairly prominent. The use of resonance-absorption-line spectroscopy is also reviewed with respect to the analysis of the Na D lines, and thereby allows the measurement of integrated columns of material through the shell. The methods provide evidence for the notion that planetary nebulae consist of more than just ionized material; large amounts of neutral and molecular material are being confirmed, which has important implications for the mass-loss episode of the nebulae.

Dinerstein, Harriet L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Observations of the 2-micron unidentified lines in planetary nebulae

Medium-resolution spectra in the K-window have been obtained for 13 planetary nebulae and one compact H II region in order to study the behavior of the unidentified line at 2.287 microns. The wavelengths of this line and the unidentified 2.199-micron line have been measured in NGC 7027 at high spectral resolution using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Based on the interferometric measurements and the lack of correlation of the 2.287-micron line with emission in H2 lines, the unidentified lines are not lines of molecular hydrogen. The 2.287-micron line is strongest in medium-high excitation nebulae, and is absent in nebulae of very low and very high excitation, implying that the ionization potential of the parent atom or ion is about 30-40 eV and that the ion itself has an ionization potential of perhaps 40-60 eV.

Geballe, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Discovery of X-ray emission associated with the Gum Nebula

The Gum Nebula was observed by the A-2 LED proportional counters on the HEAO-1 satellite as part of the all-sky survey. The first detection of X-ray emission associated with the Gum Nebula is reported. Soft X-ray spectra were constructed from the A-2 LED PHA data. Single temperature Raymond-Smith models were fitted to the observed spectra to yield temperature, column density and emission measure. The temperature is 6 x 10 exp 5 K, the column density 4 x 10 exp 20/sq cm, and the emission measure 5 cm exp-6 pc. The X-ray and optical properties of the Gum Nebula are consistent with a supernova remnant in the shell stage of evolution, which was the product of an energetic (3 x 10 exp 51 ergs) supernova explosion which occurred about 2 x 10 exp 6 yr ago.

Leahy, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Imaging of four planetary nebulae in the Magellanic Clouds using the Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Camera

Using the Faint Object Camera on-board the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained images of four planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Magellanic Clouds, namely N2 and N5 in the SMC and N66 and N201 in the LMC. Each nebula was imaged through two narrow-band filters isolating forbidden O III 5007 and H-beta, for a nominal exposure time of 1000 s in each filter. In forbidden O III, SMC N5 shows a circular ring structure, with a peak-to-peak diameter of 0.26 arcsec and a FWHM of 0.35 arcsec while SMC N2 shows an elliptical ring structure with a peak-to-peak diameter of 0.26 x 0.21. The expansion ages corresponding to the observed structures in SMC N2 and N5 are of the order of 3000 yr. LMC N201 is very compact, with a FWHM of 0.2 arcsec in H-beta. The Type I PN LMC N66 is a multipolar nebula, with the brightest part having an extent of about 2 arcsec and with fainter structures extending over 4 arcsec.

Blades, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spectropolarimetry of the post-main-sequence bipolar nebulae GL 618, M2-56, and M1-92

New high-quality spectropolarimetry of the post-main-sequence bipolar nebulae GL 618, M2-56, and M1-92 is presented which permits accurate separation of the scattered and unscattered components. Shock emission dominates the optical line spectrum of the three nebulae and probably plays a significant role in their dynamical evolution. The central H II region spectrum for GL 6189 is isolated and T(stellar) of 36,000-40,000 and log (N/O) = 0.0 +/- 0.2 are derived. GL 618 and M2-56 have shock velocities of 40-60 km/s; that of M1-92 is 60-100 km/s. Log (N/O) is derived for different regions of the three nebulae. There is an apparent correlation of outflow velocity with chemical abundance.

Trammell, Susan R.↗