An Infrared Ring Nebula around MSX5C G358.5391+00.1305: The True Nature of Suspected Planetary Nebula Wray 17-96 Determined via Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy

June 2002 • 2002ApJ...572..288E

Authors • Egan, Michael P. • Clark, J. Simon • Mizuno, Donald R. • Carey, Sean J. • Steele, Iain A. • Price, Stephan D.

Abstract • The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) Galactic plane survey discovered a nearly perfectly circular ring nebula around the suspected planetary nebula Wray 17-96. Using near-IR spectral typing and modeling of the mid-IR nebula, we find that Wray 17-96 is more likely a candidate to be a luminous blue variable (LBV) surrounded by a large spherical ejecta shell. It is very similar to the G79.29+0.46 LBV candidate in Cygnus and the Pistol Star. The K-band spectrum and the mid-IR data indicate a stellar temperature of 13,000 K. The most likely distance to the source is 4.5 kpc, leading to a luminosity of 1.8×10⁶ L_solar. We suggest that the nebula consists of multiple shells and that an evolution from oxygen-rich to carbon-rich chemistry may be indicated.

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Sean Carey

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