2003/11/04 by Paul C Hewett, P. C. Hewett, M. J. Irwin +11 · 5 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/381139
published as Astrophys.J.599:L37-L40,2003 · 12 pages including 4 figures. ApJ Letters in press
arxiv created 2003/11/04 · openalex publication_date 2003/11/20 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Investigation of spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey reveals the presence of a region of ionized gas of greater than 2° diameter centered approximately at α = 10 h 37 m , δ = -00 ° 18' (J2000.0) (Galactic coordinates l = 248 ° , b = +48 ° ). [O III] λλ4959, 5007 emission is particularly strong, and emission from Hα and [N II] λλ6548, 6583 is also detectable over a substantial area on the sky. The combination of emission-line ratios, the close to zero heliocentric radial velocity, and the morphology of the structure is consistent with an identification as a very nearby planetary nebula. The proximity of the hot, DO white dwarf PG 1034+001 further strengthens this interpretation. The object is (1) the largest planetary nebula on the sky, (2) certainly closer than any planetary nebula other than Sh 2-216, and (3) the first to be unambiguously associated with a DO white dwarf. A parallax distance for PG 1034+001 would establish whether the structure is in fact the closest, and one of the physically largest, planetary nebulae known.