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C.A. Seven, S.R. Trammell (The University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
We present Hubble Space Telescope narrow-band NICMOS and broad-band ACS images of the young planetary nebula GL 618. This object is a compact bipolar nebula and is currently undergoing the transition from the asymptotic giant branch to planetary nebula. Our images confirm the presence of at least three highly collimated outflows of shock-excited gas emanating from the central regions of GL 618.
We compare the morphology of the outflows in our HST images to ground-based imaging and spectroscopy and with previous HST optical images. The outflows seen in the optical and near-IR images of GL 618 are related to features seen in CO and CS maps of this object. This relationship indicates that the outflows are playing a major role in the morphological evolution of this young planetary nebula, interacting with and shaping the neutral envelope surrounding GL 618. We discuss the implications of these jets and their interaction with the neutral envelope in the context of current models of planetary nebula formation.
This work was supported by NASA through grant GO-09430 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #2
© YEAR. The American Astronomical Soceity.