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M. Rice (Wellesley College), H. Schwarz, H. Monteiro (Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory)
The planetary nebula Hb5 is an object of complex morphology and is classified as a bipolar point-symmetric nebula. We have made a spectrophotometric map of Hb5 using multiple long slit spectra taken at the Observatorio do Pico dos Dias' 1.6 meter telescope in Brazil. We have used the spectra to create two-dimensional emission line images in 13 lines, from which we have determined the total fluxes, the Halpha/Hbeta extinction map, and the [SII] line ratio electron density map of the nebula. With these data as constraints, we have used a self-consistent 3-D photoionization code to determine the three-dimensional density structure and ionizing star characteristics. We have found a central star temperature of 2.3x105 K and luminosity of 6.0x103 Lsun, a total nebular size along the major axis of 0.4pc, and a central nebular density of 1.2x104cm-3. Our values show Hb5 to be more dense and the central star to be hotter and more luminous than previous studies of the nebula have indicated. We also have derived a distance of 1.4 +/- 0.3kpc, which is consistent with the average distance of 1.3kpc determined by statistical methods. Note that this distance does not suffer from the usual uncertainties due to filling factor, and constancy/sphericity assumptions as we determine the structure, line fluxes, distance, and central star properties in a self-consistent way. This research was funded as part of the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: mrice@wellesley.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.