2006/08/15 by Richard A. Shaw, Letizia Stanghellini, Eva Villaver +1 · 49 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Doubly ionized oxygen #Hubble space telescope #Lambda #Large Magellanic Cloud #Monochromatic color #Planetary nebula #RADIUS #Spitzer Space Telescope #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/508469
published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 167(2), 201-229 (Institute of Physics) · Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 65 pages, 26 figures, 6 tables. For a high resolution version of Figs 4 to 19, see http://archive.stsci.edu/hst/mcpn/home.html
arxiv created 2006/08/15 · openalex publication_date 2006/12/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present images and slitless spectra that were obtained in Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) surveys of planetary nebulae (PNe) in both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. These new data on 59 PNe (54 in the LMC and 5 in the SMC) permit us to determine the nebular dimensions and morphology in the monochromatic light of several emission lines: Hα, [N II] λ6583, and [O III] λ5007, plus others of varying ionization, including [O I], He I, and [S II]. We describe the nebular morphology and related features in detail. This survey, when combined with similar data from our prior HST programs and other archived PN images, brings the total of nebulae imaged with HST to 114 in the LMC and 35 in the SMC. We describe various basic properties for the sample, including sizes, morphologies, densities, and completeness. Trends in [O III] λ5007 flux, surface brightness, and electron density with physical radius suggest that many nebulae, particularly those with bipolar morphology, may be optically thick even at large size. Bipolars also show the most extreme values of [N II]/Hα flux ratios, which is a rough indicator of N enrichment.