Charles Dayton Keyes

Physical parameters for 12 planetary nebulae and their central stars in the Magellanic Clouds

Nebular and central star parameters and elemental abundances of C, N, O, Ne, S, and Ar are presented for the planetary nebulae N2, N5, N43, N54, and N67 in the SMC and P2, P7, P9, P25, P33, and P40 in the LMC. The nebular chemical compositions are affected by nuclear processes in the precursor stars, which may not have been sufficiently massive to synthesize Ne, S, or Ar, which appear to be deficient with respect to their solar abundances by factors of roughly four and five for the LMC and SMC, respectively. Even after excluding nebulae formed by stars in which O apparently was destroyed by nuclear processes, O depletion in the LMC and SMC nebulae is significantly greater than in galactic planetaries. The estimated masses of the 12 remnant central stars range from 0.58 to 0.71 solar mass. 31 references.

Spectrum of the high-excitation planetary Nebula NGC 6741 (33-2 deg 1)

Image tube observations carried out at the Lick and Mount Wilson Observatories were combined with IUE and infrared observations to study the spectra of the high-excitation planetary nebula NGC 6741. Plasma diagnostics were carried out and ion concentrations were calculated for ions from He I to Ca4(+). The ion densities and plasma diagnostics data were compared with theoretical nebular models to interpret the spectra and to obtain ionization correction factors. It is shown that the exciting star in NGC 6741 has an effective temperature near 160,000 K. The predicted abundance ratios for the lines at 5876/4686 A, 3426/3868 A, and 3727/5007 A conformed well to the observations. The derived logarithmic abundances in NGC 6741 are given in a table. 62 references.

Ultraviolet spectroscopy of the planetary nebula in the Fornax galaxy

The planetary nebula in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy is carbon rich, according to calculations based on measurements of the 1909 A emission line doublet of semiforbidden C III obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer. The ratio N(C)/N(O) is approximately equal to 3.7, comparable to the largest reliably determined carbon/oxygen ratios in high excitation planetaries of the Milky Way. The present result is based on four low-dispersion spectra with a combined exposure time of 27.2 hours; the Fornax planetary nebula is probably the most distant known planetary that can be observed with IUE. The IUE data were analyzed together with visible-wavelength emission-line fluxes reported by Danziger et al. (1978) to compute abundances for various elements. In terms of chemical composition, the Fornax nebula resembles planetary nebulae in the Magellanic Clouds more closely than it does typical or carbon-rich planetaries in the Galaxy.

Spectrum and chemical analysis of the double-ring planetary nebula IC 1297

The double-ring planetary nebula IC 1297 resembles NGC 7662 in appearance, although it is of much lower surface brightness. What is remarkable is the great strength of the dielectronic recombination O V line. Although this line is seen as a P Cygni feature in a number of planetary nebulae, it is in those instances accompanied by a strong continuum and other easily recognized features of stellar origin. No star is visible on CCD images of IC 1297. Optical region measurements are supplemented by IUE observations. The following logarithmic abundance values are found: log N(He) = 11.065; log N(forbidden C) = 8.6; log N(N) = 8.1; log N(O) = 8.74; log N(Ne) = 8.16; log N(S) = 7.0; log N(Cl) = 5.4; log N(Ar) = 6.2. The nebula shows no dramatic pattern of nucleogenesis events.

Two compact planetary nebulae of moderate excitation - NGC 6565 (3-4.5 deg) and NGC 6644 (8-7.2 deg)

Data obtained with an image-tube scanner at the 3-m Shane telescope are combined with IUE data to obtain plasma diagnostics and chemical compositions for two planetary nebulae of moderately high excitation. Theoretical nebular models were calculated using stellar fluxes given by Husfeld et al. (1984) for Tasterisk = 85,000 K, log g = 4.72, and elemental abundances were obtained by fitting theoretical to observed line intensities and also by using the model to determine ionization correction factors to be applied to observed ionic concentrations. Although C appears to be about 1.5 times as abundant in NGC 6644 as in NGC 6565, N, O, Ne, S, Cl, and Ar are depleted by factors ranging from 2 to 6 in NGC 6644 as compared to NGC 6565. The high-velocity object, NGC 6644, was evidently made from a less metal-rich mixture than the sun.