Mz 3

Last updated
Ant Nebula
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
Ant Nebula.jpg
The Ant Nebula taken by Hubble Space Telescope in 2008
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension 16h 17m 13.392s [1]
Declination −51° 59′ 10.31″ [1]
Distance ~8,000 ly (~2,500 pc) [2]   ly
Apparent magnitude (V)13.8 [3]
Apparent dimensions (V)>50″ × 12″ [2]
Constellation Norma
Physical characteristics
Radius 1.0 ly [a]  ly
Absolute magnitude (V)1.8 [b]
Notable featuresThree nested pairs of bipolar lobes
DesignationsESO 225-9, [1] Ant Nebula, [1]
Chamber of Horrors [c]
See also: Lists of nebulae

Mz 3 (Menzel 3) is a young bipolar planetary nebula (PN) in the constellation Norma that is composed of a bright core and four distinct high-velocity outflows that have been named lobes, columns, rays, and chakram. These nebulosities are described as: two spherical bipolar lobes, two outer large filamentary hour-glass shaped columns, two cone shaped rays, and a planar radially expanding, elliptically shaped chakram. [4] [5] Mz 3 is a complex system composed of three nested pairs of bipolar lobes and an equatorial ellipse. [6] Its lobes all share the same axis of symmetry but each have very different morphologies and opening angles. [6] It is an unusual PN in that it is believed, by some researchers, to contain a symbiotic binary at its center. [5] One study suggests that the dense nebular gas at its center may have originated from a source different from that of its extended lobes. [5] The working model to explain this hypothesizes that this PN is composed of a giant companion that caused a central dense gas region to form, and a white dwarf that provides ionizing photons for the PN. [5]

Contents

Mz 3 is often referred to as the Ant Nebula because it resembles the head and thorax of a garden-variety ant.

Characteristics

Mz 3 is radially expanding at a rate of about 50 km/s and has its polar axis oriented at an angle of around 30° from the plane of the sky (Lopez & Meaburn 1983; Meaburn & Walsh 1985). It is sometimes compared to the more extensively studied Butterfly Nebula (M 2-9), and it is quite likely that both have a similar evolutionary history. They both have point-like bright nuclei, are narrow-waisted bipolar nebulae, and share surprisingly similar spatially dependent spectra. Because of their similarity, their differences are noteworthy. Their greatest difference is probably in their near infrared emissions. Mz 3 has no trace of molecular hydrogen emission, whereas the M 2-9 has prominent H2 emission lines in the near-IR. The lack of H2 emissions from Mz 3 is unusual given the strong correlation between such emissions and bipolar structures of PN. Additionally, the polar lobes of Mz 3 are more mottled and rounded as compared to M 2-9. Finally, Mz 3 is not known to evidence temporal variability in its polar lobes as is found in M 2-9 (Doyle et al. 2000). ( Smith 2003 )

The Herschel Space Observatory has detected laser light emissions from the nebula -- specifically, hydrogen recombination line laser emissions. This confirms the presence of a white dwarf with a binary companion at the heart of the nebula. [7]

Chakram

Of the morphological features of Mz 3, one of the most unusual and odd is the chakram (first noticed in 2004), a faint, large, limb brightened ellipse that appears to have its center on the PN's nucleus. While the plane of the ellipse is near the other feature's shared reflection symmetry plane, it is definitely offset. This structure's kinematics are the only such ones known among studied PN. Unlike all the other Mz 3 structures, there is no increase of velocity as the radial offset from the nucleus increases. Consequently, this must not be a simple equatorial flow despite the fact that its motion appears to be strictly radial (that is, there is no indication of rotation which would suggest that this feature is dynamically stable). All the kinematic properties of the ellipse are symmetric and very ordered relative to the nucleus, consistent with all the other Mz 3 features. Therefore, the ellipse must be historically linked to the evolution of the central star. ( Santander-García et al. 2004 )

The Ant Nebula is 8,000 light years away from Earth and it has a magnitude of 13.8.

History

Mz 3 was discovered by Donald Howard Menzel in 1922. [2] Menzel 1922

It was studied on July 20, 1997 by astronomers Bruce Balick  [ de ] (University of Washington) and Vincent Icke  [ nl ] (Leiden University) on observations done with the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope was later used on June 30, 1998 by Raghvendra Sahai and John Trauger of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to picture the PN.

Notes

  1. ^ 8,000 ly distance × sin( >50″ diameter_angle / 2 ) = 1.0 ly. radius
  2. ^ 13.8 [3] apparent magnitude – 5 * (log10(2,500 pc distance) – 1) = 1.8 absolute magnitude
  3. ^ Mz 3 has several components with varying degrees of collimation. It also has an unusual spectrum. Together, these entitle it to the nickname of "The Chamber of Horrors" of planetary nebulae as given by Evans in 1959. [2] [4]
  1. 1 2 3 4 SIMBAD 2006
  2. 1 2 3 4 Smith 2003
  3. 1 2 Gottlieb & Wallace 2005
  4. 1 2 Santander-García et al. 2004
  5. 1 2 3 4 Zhang & Liu 2006
  6. 1 2 Guerrero, Chu & Miranda 2004
  7. ↑ esa. "A space ant fires its lasers". European Space Agency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary nebula</span> Type of emission nebula created by dying red giants

A planetary nebula is a type of emission nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helix Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius

The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, most likely before 1824, this object is one of the closest of all the bright planetary nebulae to Earth. The distance, measured by the Gaia mission, is 655±13 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat's Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle. The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the "Eye of God" in pop culture, as well as the "Eye of Sauron".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat's Eye Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Draco

The Cat's Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Draco, discovered by William Herschel on February 15, 1786. It was the first planetary nebula whose spectrum was investigated by the English amateur astronomer William Huggins, demonstrating that planetary nebulae were gaseous and not stellar in nature. Structurally, the object has had high-resolution images by the Hubble Space Telescope revealing knots, jets, bubbles and complex arcs, being illuminated by the central hot planetary nebula nucleus (PNN). It is a well-studied object that has been observed from radio to X-ray wavelengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbbell Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula

The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light-years. It was the first such nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars and is a popular observing target in amateur telescopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eskimo Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Gemini

The Eskimo Nebula, also known as the Clown-faced Nebula, Lion Nebula, or Caldwell 39, is a bipolar double-shell planetary nebula (PN). It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1787. The formation resembles a person's head surrounded by a parka hood. It is surrounded by gas that composed the outer layers of a Sun-like star. The visible inner filaments are ejected by a strong wind of particles from the central star. The outer disk contains unusual, light-year-long filaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stingray Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Ara

The Stingray Nebula is the youngest-known planetary nebula, having appeared in the 1980s. The nebula is located in the direction of the southern constellation Ara, and is located 18,000 light-years away. Although it is some 130 times the size of the Solar System, the Stingray Nebula is only about one tenth the size of most other known planetary nebulae. The central star of the nebula is the fast-evolving star SAO 244567. Until the early 1970s, it was observed on Earth as a preplanetary nebula in which the gas had not yet become hot and ionized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M2-9</span> Planetary nebula

Minkowski 2-9, abbreviated M2-9 is a planetary nebula that was discovered by Rudolph Minkowski in 1947. It is located about 2,100 light-years away from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. This bipolar nebula takes the peculiar form of twin lobes of material that emanate from a central star. Astronomers have dubbed this object as the Twin Jet Nebula because of the jets believed to cause the shape of the lobes. Its form also resembles the wings of a butterfly. The nebula was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Dumbbell Nebula</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus

The Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, NGC 650/651, the Barbell Nebula, or the Cork Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Perseus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included in Charles Messier's catalog of comet-like objects as number 76. It was first classified as a planetary nebula in 1918 by the astronomer Heber Doust Curtis. However, others might have previously recognized it as a planetary nebula; for example, William Huggins found its spectrum indicated it was a nebula ; and Isaac Roberts in 1891 suggested that M76 might be similar to the Ring Nebula (M57), as seen instead from the side view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protoplanetary nebula</span> Nebula surrounding a dying star

A protoplanetary nebula or preplanetary nebula is an astronomical object which is at the short-lived episode during a star's rapid evolution between the late asymptotic giant branch (LAGB)[a] phase and the subsequent planetary nebula (PN) phase. A PPN emits strongly in infrared radiation, and is a kind of reflection nebula. It is the second-from-the-last high-luminosity evolution phase in the life cycle of intermediate-mass stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1-92</span> Protoplanetary Nebula in the constellation of Cygnus

M1-92, also known as Minkowski’s Footprint or the Footprint Nebula, is a bipolar protoplanetary nebula in the constellation of Cygnus. It is a type of reflection nebula, visible only by light reflected from the central star. The central star is not yet a white dwarf but is quickly becoming one. In a few thousand years the star will be hot enough to emit vast quantities of ultraviolet radiation that will ionize the nebula surrounding it, making it a fully fledged planetary nebula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Rectangle Nebula</span> Protoplanetary nebula in the constellation Monoceros

The Red Rectangle Nebula, so called because of its red color and unique rectangular shape, is a protoplanetary nebula in the Monoceros constellation. Also known as HD 44179, the nebula was discovered in 1973 during a rocket flight associated with the AFCRL Infrared Sky Survey called Hi Star. The binary system at the center of the nebula was first discovered by Robert Grant Aitken in 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6302</span> Bipolar planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius

NGC 6302 is a bipolar planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius. The structure in the nebula is among the most complex ever seen in planetary nebulae. The spectrum of Butterfly Nebula shows that its central star is one of the hottest stars known, with a surface temperature in excess of 250,000 degrees Celsius, implying that the star from which it formed must have been very large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6751</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Aquila

NGC 6751, also known as the Glowing Eye Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquila. It is estimated to be about 6,500 light-years away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bipolar outflow</span> Two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star

A bipolar outflow comprises two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star. Bipolar outflows may be associated with protostars, or with evolved post-AGB stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mz 1</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Norma

Mz 1 , is a bipolar planetary nebula (PN) in the constellation Norma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7662</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 7662 is a planetary nebula located in the northern constellation Andromeda. It is known as the Blue Snowball Nebula, Snowball Nebula, and Caldwell 22. This nebula was discovered October 6, 1784 by the German-born English astronomer William Herschel. In the New General Catalogue it is described as a "magnificent planetary or annular nebula, very bright, pretty small in angular size, round, blue, variable nucleus". The object has an apparent visual magnitude of 8.3 and spans an angular size of 32″ × 28″. Parallax measurements give a distance estimate of 5,730 ± 340 ly (1,757 ± 103 pc).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6905</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Delphinus

NGC 6905, also known as the Blue Flash Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Delphinus. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. The central star is 14.0 mag. The distance of the nebula, as with most planetary nebulae, is not well determined and estimates range between 1.7 and 2.6 kpc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6445</span> Planetary nebula in the constellation Sagittarius

NGC 6445, also known as the Little Gem Nebula or Box Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by William Herschel on May 28, 1786. The distance of NGC 6445 is estimated to be slightly more than 1,000 parsecs based on the parallax measured by Gaia, which was measured at 0.9740±0.3151 mas.

LoTr 5 is a large, faint planetary nebula in the constellation of Coma Berenices. In 2018, its parallax was measured by Gaia, giving a distance of about 1,650 light-years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KjPn 8</span>

KjPn 8 is a bipolar planetary nebula which was discovered by M.A. Kazaryan and Eh. S. Parsamyan in 1971 and independently by Luboš Kohoutek in 1972.

References



This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.