Planetary Nebula

1
Planetary Nebula
2
What Are Planetary Nebulae?

• End result of M- low F stars (little less then
  1 to about 8 solar masses)
• Others form supernovae
• How do these nebulae form?
• Have nothing to do with planets
• Studying planetary nebulae gives astronomers
  insight into what elements originally formed the
  star.

3
Our Data

• Two main areas of study Spectroscopy and
  Digital Images
• Spectroscopy Determines chemical makeup,
  temperature and density.
• Images Ultimately provides a correlation between
  spectroscopy data and outward appearance
• Our goal was to analyze the spectrum of two known
  planetary nebulae to determine their chemical
  makeup

4
Bug Nebula Spectrum
Absorption Line
Emission Line
5
Absorption Lines of Bug Nebula
Hydrogen
Helium
Sulfur
6
Analyzed Absorption Lines
Hydrogen Helium Sulfur
7
Emission Lines of Bug Nebula
Oxygen Sodium Nitrogen Neon
8
Analyzed Emission Lines
Oxygen Sodium Nitrogen Neon
9
Absorption Lines of Southern Ring (Eight Burst)
Nebula
Southern Ring
Bug
Hydrogen Helium Sulfur
10
Analyzed Absorption Lines
Hydrogen Helium Sulfur
11
Southern Ring Emission Lines
Krypton Calcium Lithium
12
Analyzed Emission Lines
Krypton Calcium Lithium
13
Kirchhoff's Laws

• According Kirchhoff's laws, the light produced by
  a planetary nebula should be an emission
  spectrum, with spikes of emission at specific
  wavelengths corresponding to the elements in the
  gas.

14
Kirchhoff's Laws

• A planetary nebula has the light source
  completely surrounded by the gas, meaning we see
  the same thing from every direction and thus see
  absorption and emission lines

15

• Southern Ring Nebula
• Calcium (emission)
• Krypton (emission)
• Lithium (emission)
• Hydrogen (absorption)
• Helium (absorption)
• Sulfur (absorption)

• Bug Nebula
• Oxygen (emission)
• Sodium (emission)
• Nitrogen (emission)
• Neon (emission)
• Hydrogen (absorption)
• Helium (absorption)
• Sulfur (absorption)

16
Similarities and Differences

• We can hypothesize that there may be a similar
  pattern in the absorption lines of most planetary
  nebulae, specifically regarding the balmer lines
  of hydrogen, helium, and sulfur.
• The emission lines, we believe are dependent on
  the age of the nebula and the size and
  temperature of the central star.

17
Bug Nebula (Faulkes Telescope South)
18
Southern Ring Nebula (Hubble Space Telescope)
19
Sources
Planetary Nebula http//FusEdWeb.llnl.gov/CPEP/ h
ttp//hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1
998/39/image/a/ http//www.astro.washington.edu/la
bs/clearinghouse/labs/ProppnShort/proppn.html Ide
ntifying elements from spectra http//www.astro.w
ashington.edu/labs/clearinghouse/labs/Spectanalysi
s/images/compspec.jpg Emission/Absorption
lines http//www.astro.cornell.edu/academics/cour
ses/astro201/kirchhoff.htm Southern Ring
Nebula http//hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/r
eleases/1998/39/image/a/ http//www.nasa.gov/multi
media/imagegallery/image_feature_443.html General
http//simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid http/
/skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/query.pl