JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs

R Wesson; Mikako Matsuura; Albert a Zijlstra; Kevin Volk; Patrick j Kavanagh; Guillermo García-Segura; I Mcdonald; Raghvendra Sahai; M j Barlow; Nick l j Cox; Jeronimo Bernard-Salas; Isabel Aleman; Jan Cami; Nicholas Clark; Harriet l Dinerstein; K Justtanont; Kyle f Kaplan; A Manchado; Els Peeters; Griet c Van de steene; Peter a m Van hoof

doi:10.1093/mnras/stad3670

JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs

R Wesson, Mikako Matsuura, Albert a Zijlstra, Kevin Volk, Patrick j Kavanagh, Guillermo García-Segura, I Mcdonald, Raghvendra Sahai, M j Barlow, Nick l j Cox, Jeronimo Bernard-Salas, Isabel Aleman, Jan Cami, Nicholas Clark, Harriet l Dinerstein, K Justtanont, Kyle f Kaplan, A Manchado, Els Peeters, Griet c Van de steenePeter a m Van hoof

Astronomy and Astrophysics Theory Group

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We present JWST images of the well-known planetary nebula NGC 6720 (the Ring Nebula), covering wavelengths from 1.6µm to 25 µm. The bright shell is strongly fragmented with some 20 000 dense globules, bright in H2, with a characteristic diameter of 0.2 arcsec and density nH ∼ 105–106 cm−3. The shell contains a thin ring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. H2 is found throughout the shell and in the halo. H2 in the halo may be located on the swept-up walls of a biconal polar flow. The central cavity is shown to be filled with high ionization
gas and shows two linear structures. The central star is located 2 arcsec from the emission centroid of the cavity and shell. Linear features (‘spikes’) extend outward from the ring, pointing away from the central star. Hydrodynamical simulations are shown which reproduce the clumping and possibly the spikes. Around ten low-contrast, regularly spaced concentric arc-like features are present; they suggest orbital modulation by a low-mass companion with a period of about 280 yr A previously known much wider companion is located at a projected separation of about 15 000 au; we show that it is an M2–M4 dwarf. The system is therefore a triple star. These features, including the multiplicity, are similar to those seen in the Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132) and may be a common aspect of such
nebulae.

Original language	English
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Early online date	13 Dec 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3670
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 13 Dec 2023

Keywords

planetary nebulae
general – planetary nebulae
: individual
NGC6720 – circumstellar matter
stars
evolution

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Wesson, R., Matsuura, M., Zijlstra, A. A., Volk, K., Kavanagh, P. J., García-Segura, G., Mcdonald, I., Sahai, R., Barlow, M. J., Cox, N. L. J., Bernard-Salas, J., Aleman, I., Cami, J., Clark, N., Dinerstein, H. L., Justtanont, K., Kaplan, K. F., Manchado, A., Peeters, E., ... Van hoof, P. A. M. (2023). JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3670

@article{420949b957b9491d9495e3971a996975,

title = "JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs",

abstract = "We present JWST images of the well-known planetary nebula NGC 6720 (the Ring Nebula), covering wavelengths from 1.6µm to 25 µm. The bright shell is strongly fragmented with some 20 000 dense globules, bright in H2, with a characteristic diameter of 0.2 arcsec and density nH ∼ 105–106 cm−3. The shell contains a thin ring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. H2 is found throughout the shell and in the halo. H2 in the halo may be located on the swept-up walls of a biconal polar flow. The central cavity is shown to be filled with high ionizationgas and shows two linear structures. The central star is located 2 arcsec from the emission centroid of the cavity and shell. Linear features ({\textquoteleft}spikes{\textquoteright}) extend outward from the ring, pointing away from the central star. Hydrodynamical simulations are shown which reproduce the clumping and possibly the spikes. Around ten low-contrast, regularly spaced concentric arc-like features are present; they suggest orbital modulation by a low-mass companion with a period of about 280 yr A previously known much wider companion is located at a projected separation of about 15 000 au; we show that it is an M2–M4 dwarf. The system is therefore a triple star. These features, including the multiplicity, are similar to those seen in the Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132) and may be a common aspect of suchnebulae.",

keywords = "planetary nebulae, general – planetary nebulae, : individual, NGC6720 – circumstellar matter, stars, evolution",

author = "R Wesson and Mikako Matsuura and Zijlstra, {Albert a} and Kevin Volk and Kavanagh, {Patrick j} and Guillermo Garc{\'i}a-Segura and I Mcdonald and Raghvendra Sahai and Barlow, {M j} and Cox, {Nick l j} and Jeronimo Bernard-Salas and Isabel Aleman and Jan Cami and Nicholas Clark and Dinerstein, {Harriet l} and K Justtanont and Kaplan, {Kyle f} and A Manchado and Els Peeters and {Van de steene}, {Griet c} and {Van hoof}, {Peter a m}",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

day = "13",

doi = "10.1093/mnras/stad3670",

language = "English",

journal = "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",

issn = "1365-2966",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

}

Wesson, R, Matsuura, M, Zijlstra, AA, Volk, K, Kavanagh, PJ, García-Segura, G, Mcdonald, I, Sahai, R, Barlow, MJ, Cox, NLJ, Bernard-Salas, J, Aleman, I, Cami, J, Clark, N, Dinerstein, HL, Justtanont, K, Kaplan, KF, Manchado, A, Peeters, E, Van de steene, GC & Van hoof, PAM 2023, 'JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3670

TY - JOUR

T1 - JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs

AU - Wesson, R

AU - Matsuura, Mikako

AU - Zijlstra, Albert a

AU - Volk, Kevin

AU - Kavanagh, Patrick j

AU - García-Segura, Guillermo

AU - Mcdonald, I

AU - Sahai, Raghvendra

AU - Barlow, M j

AU - Cox, Nick l j

AU - Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo

AU - Aleman, Isabel

AU - Cami, Jan

AU - Clark, Nicholas

AU - Dinerstein, Harriet l

AU - Justtanont, K

AU - Kaplan, Kyle f

AU - Manchado, A

AU - Peeters, Els

AU - Van de steene, Griet c

AU - Van hoof, Peter a m

PY - 2023/12/13

Y1 - 2023/12/13

N2 - We present JWST images of the well-known planetary nebula NGC 6720 (the Ring Nebula), covering wavelengths from 1.6µm to 25 µm. The bright shell is strongly fragmented with some 20 000 dense globules, bright in H2, with a characteristic diameter of 0.2 arcsec and density nH ∼ 105–106 cm−3. The shell contains a thin ring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. H2 is found throughout the shell and in the halo. H2 in the halo may be located on the swept-up walls of a biconal polar flow. The central cavity is shown to be filled with high ionizationgas and shows two linear structures. The central star is located 2 arcsec from the emission centroid of the cavity and shell. Linear features (‘spikes’) extend outward from the ring, pointing away from the central star. Hydrodynamical simulations are shown which reproduce the clumping and possibly the spikes. Around ten low-contrast, regularly spaced concentric arc-like features are present; they suggest orbital modulation by a low-mass companion with a period of about 280 yr A previously known much wider companion is located at a projected separation of about 15 000 au; we show that it is an M2–M4 dwarf. The system is therefore a triple star. These features, including the multiplicity, are similar to those seen in the Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132) and may be a common aspect of suchnebulae.

AB - We present JWST images of the well-known planetary nebula NGC 6720 (the Ring Nebula), covering wavelengths from 1.6µm to 25 µm. The bright shell is strongly fragmented with some 20 000 dense globules, bright in H2, with a characteristic diameter of 0.2 arcsec and density nH ∼ 105–106 cm−3. The shell contains a thin ring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. H2 is found throughout the shell and in the halo. H2 in the halo may be located on the swept-up walls of a biconal polar flow. The central cavity is shown to be filled with high ionizationgas and shows two linear structures. The central star is located 2 arcsec from the emission centroid of the cavity and shell. Linear features (‘spikes’) extend outward from the ring, pointing away from the central star. Hydrodynamical simulations are shown which reproduce the clumping and possibly the spikes. Around ten low-contrast, regularly spaced concentric arc-like features are present; they suggest orbital modulation by a low-mass companion with a period of about 280 yr A previously known much wider companion is located at a projected separation of about 15 000 au; we show that it is an M2–M4 dwarf. The system is therefore a triple star. These features, including the multiplicity, are similar to those seen in the Southern Ring Nebula (NGC 3132) and may be a common aspect of suchnebulae.

KW - planetary nebulae

KW - general – planetary nebulae

KW - : individual

KW - NGC6720 – circumstellar matter

KW - stars

KW - evolution

U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stad3670

DO - 10.1093/mnras/stad3670

M3 - Article

SN - 1365-2966

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

ER -

JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): I. Imaging of the rings, globules, and arcs

Abstract

Keywords

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