Poster abstract details
New faint planetary nebulae from the DSS and SDSS
Abstract
Recent Hα surveys such as SHS [1] and IPHAS [2] have almost doubled the number of known planetary nebulae (PNe) in our Galaxy. However, both surveys are restricted to Milky Way regions close to the Galactic plane. Thus, it is likely that a population of unknown PNe exists also at higher Galactic latitudes that is still awaiting discovery.
The lack of high-resolution Hα imagery requires the use of other methods in order to search for new PNe in these regions. Possibilities are the visual inspection of multicolour Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) and Sloan Digitized Sky Survey (SDSS) images, and the survey for narrowband emitters on combined [OIII], Hα and [SII] images. The application of these two methods in fields mostly complementary to those covered by SHS and IPHAS has lead so far to the discovery of more than 100 PN candidates. In a first observing campaign, 76 of the candidates were imaged with the WIYN 3.5m and the OHP 1.2m telescopes, of which 60 were found to be possible or probable PNe [3]. Spectroscopic studies of 51 of the targets, including two previously unobserved candidates, confirmed 44 as PNe. Of the remaining 11 targets without spectra, 10 have a high probability of being PNe based on their morphology alone.
This work presents narrowband images of about 15 candidates that were not included in the previous campaign. We note that one of the candidates (Kn 61) is located within the target field of the Kepler satellite mission.
[1] Parker, Q. A. et al., MNRAS 362, 689 (2005)
[2] Drew, J. et al., MNRAS 362, 753 (2005)
[3] Jacoby, G. et al., Pub. Ast. Soc. Aus. 27, 156 (2010)
The lack of high-resolution Hα imagery requires the use of other methods in order to search for new PNe in these regions. Possibilities are the visual inspection of multicolour Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) and Sloan Digitized Sky Survey (SDSS) images, and the survey for narrowband emitters on combined [OIII], Hα and [SII] images. The application of these two methods in fields mostly complementary to those covered by SHS and IPHAS has lead so far to the discovery of more than 100 PN candidates. In a first observing campaign, 76 of the candidates were imaged with the WIYN 3.5m and the OHP 1.2m telescopes, of which 60 were found to be possible or probable PNe [3]. Spectroscopic studies of 51 of the targets, including two previously unobserved candidates, confirmed 44 as PNe. Of the remaining 11 targets without spectra, 10 have a high probability of being PNe based on their morphology alone.
This work presents narrowband images of about 15 candidates that were not included in the previous campaign. We note that one of the candidates (Kn 61) is located within the target field of the Kepler satellite mission.
[1] Parker, Q. A. et al., MNRAS 362, 689 (2005)
[2] Drew, J. et al., MNRAS 362, 753 (2005)
[3] Jacoby, G. et al., Pub. Ast. Soc. Aus. 27, 156 (2010)