2002/09/19 by Howard E. Bond, D. Pollacco, Don L. Pollacco +2 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/344809
published as Astron.J. 125 (2003) 260 · 4 pages, 3 figures; Accepted for January 2003 issue of Astronomical Journal
arxiv created 2002/09/19 · openalex publication_date 2003/01/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
WeBo 1 (PN G135.6+01.0), a previously unrecognized planetary nebula with a remarkable thin-ring morphology, was discovered serendipitously on Digitized Sky Survey images. The central star is found to be a late-type giant with overabundances of carbon and s -process elements. The giant is chromospherically active and photometrically variable, with a probable period of 4.7 days; this suggests that the star is spotted, and that 4.7 days is its rotation period. We propose a scenario in which one component of a binary system became an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star with a dense stellar wind enriched in C and s -process elements; a portion of the wind was accreted by the companion, contaminating its atmosphere and spinning up its rotation. The AGB star has now become a hot subdwarf, leaving the optical companion as a freshly contaminated barium star inside an ionized planetary nebula.