The Geometry, Composition, and Mass of the Crab Nebula

July 1989 • 1989ApJ...342..364M

Authors • MacAlpine, Gordon M. • McGaugh, Stacy S. • Mazzarella, Joseph M. • Uomoto, Alan

Abstract • Interference filter images and long-slit spectroscopy are presented which show that much of the brighter filamentary gas in the Crab Nebula is involved in large structures consisting of a nearly pure helium band or torus across the neutron star and bipolar, helium-rich lobes. It is inferred that the SN precursor may have initially had a mass of 20-30 solar masses, and that the strongest forbidden Ni II emission coincides with regions of relatively low helium abundance in the north-east part of the nebula. The results support a scenario in which interaction and mixing occurs between an ambient interstellar cloud and material produced in the SN.

Links

• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=1989ApJ...342..364M
• GIF http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1989ApJ...342..364M
• ARTICLE http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1989ApJ...342..364M?defaultprint=YES