Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: The central stars of highly evolved planetary nebulae (PNe) are expected to have closely similar absolute visual magnitudes MV. This enables us to determine approximate distances to these sources where one knows their central star visual magnitudes, and levels of extinction. We find that such an analysis implies values of D which are similar to those determined by Phillips; Cahn, Kaler & Stanghellin; Acker, and Daub. However, our distances are very much smaller than those of Zhang; Bensby & Lundstrom, and van de Steene & Zijlstra. The reasons for these differences are discussed, and can be traced to errors in the assumed relation between brightness temperature and radius. Finally, we determine that the binary companions of such stars can be no brighter than MV∼ 6mag, implying a spectral type of K0 or later in the case of main-sequence stars.
Author: J. P. Phillips
Institution: Universidad de Guadalajara
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2153730717