The structure of Planetary Nebulae: theory vs. practice

Abstract

This paper - the first of a short series dedicated to the long-stan ding astronomical problem of de-projecting the bi-dimensional apparent morpholog y of a three-dimensional mass of gas - focuses on the density distribution in real Planetary Nebulae (and all types of expanding nebulae). We introduce some basic theoretical notions, discuss the observational methodology and develope the accurate procedure for the determination of the matter radial profile within the sharp portion of nebula in the plane of the sky identified by the zero-velocity-pixel-column (zvpc) of high-resolution spectral images. Moreover, a series of evolutive snapshots is presented, combining illustrative examples of model- and true-Planetary Nebulae. Last, the general and specific applications of the method (and some caveats) are discussed.

18 pages, 7 figures, A&A accepted

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Shape: A 3D Modeling Tool for Astrophysics
• Hydrodynamical Velocity Fields in Planetary Nebulae
• "Distance mapping" and the 3-D structure of BB +30 3639
• Distance mapping applied to four well-known planetary nebulae and a nova shell
• Tangential Motions and Spectroscopy within NGC 6720, the Ring Nebula
• The gas turbulence in planetary nebulae: quantification and multi-D maps from long-slit, wide-spectral range echellogram
• The [S II] Spectral Images of the Planetary Nebula NGC 7009: II. Major Axis
• Double Shells of the Planetary Nebula NGC 7009 Minor Axis
• Interactive Visualization and Simulation of Astronomical Nebulae