JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514

While NGC 1514 is an elliptical, but complex, planetary nebula at optical wavelengths, it was discovered to have a pair of infrared-bright, axisymmetric rings contained within its faint outer shell during the course of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey. We have obtained JWST mid...

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Main Authors: Michael E. Ressler, Alba Aller, David Jones, Ryan M. Lau, Luis F. Miranda, Karen Willacy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astronomical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/adbbcf
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author Michael E. Ressler
Alba Aller
David Jones
Ryan M. Lau
Luis F. Miranda
Karen Willacy
author_facet Michael E. Ressler
Alba Aller
David Jones
Ryan M. Lau
Luis F. Miranda
Karen Willacy
author_sort Michael E. Ressler
collection DOAJ
description While NGC 1514 is an elliptical, but complex, planetary nebula at optical wavelengths, it was discovered to have a pair of infrared-bright, axisymmetric rings contained within its faint outer shell during the course of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey. We have obtained JWST mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of the nebula through the use of simultaneous observations with the MIRI Imager and Medium Resolution Spectrometer, selecting the F770W, F1280W, and F2550W filters to match each of the medium-resolution spectrometer’s three grating positions. These observations show that the rings are clearly resolved and relatively distinct structures, with both filamentary and clumpy detail throughout. There is also cloud-like material that has a turbulent appearance in the interior of the rings, particularly at the longest wavelengths, and faint ejecta-like structures just outside the ring boundaries. Despite their brightness, the emission from the rings within the three imager passbands is shown to be dominated by thermal emission from very small grains, not line emission from atomic hydrogen or forbidden atomic lines, shocked molecular hydrogen, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The Doppler velocities derived from the two brightest emission lines in the rings, however, suggest that the material from which the rings were formed was ejected during an early period of very heavy mass loss from the planetary nebula progenitor, then shaped by asymmetrical fast winds from the central binary pair.
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spelling doaj-art-08a63eeefcf0480bbb26338a2a3e9d952025-08-20T03:03:49ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812025-01-01169523610.3847/1538-3881/adbbcfJWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514Michael E. Ressler0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5644-8830Alba Aller1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0884-9589David Jones2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3947-5946Ryan M. Lau3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0778-0321Luis F. Miranda4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0939-8724Karen Willacy5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6124-5974Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; Michael.E.Ressler@jpl.nasa.govObservatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN) , Alfonso XII 3, 28014, Madrid, SpainInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna , E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Nordic Optical Telescope , Rambla José Ana Fernández Pérez 7, 38711, Breña Baja, SpainNSF NOIRLab , 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USAInstituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA) , CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18008 Granada, SpainJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA ; Michael.E.Ressler@jpl.nasa.govWhile NGC 1514 is an elliptical, but complex, planetary nebula at optical wavelengths, it was discovered to have a pair of infrared-bright, axisymmetric rings contained within its faint outer shell during the course of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey. We have obtained JWST mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of the nebula through the use of simultaneous observations with the MIRI Imager and Medium Resolution Spectrometer, selecting the F770W, F1280W, and F2550W filters to match each of the medium-resolution spectrometer’s three grating positions. These observations show that the rings are clearly resolved and relatively distinct structures, with both filamentary and clumpy detail throughout. There is also cloud-like material that has a turbulent appearance in the interior of the rings, particularly at the longest wavelengths, and faint ejecta-like structures just outside the ring boundaries. Despite their brightness, the emission from the rings within the three imager passbands is shown to be dominated by thermal emission from very small grains, not line emission from atomic hydrogen or forbidden atomic lines, shocked molecular hydrogen, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The Doppler velocities derived from the two brightest emission lines in the rings, however, suggest that the material from which the rings were formed was ejected during an early period of very heavy mass loss from the planetary nebula progenitor, then shaped by asymmetrical fast winds from the central binary pair.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/adbbcfPlanetary nebulaeCircumstellar dustJames Webb Space Telescope
spellingShingle Michael E. Ressler
Alba Aller
David Jones
Ryan M. Lau
Luis F. Miranda
Karen Willacy
JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
The Astronomical Journal
Planetary nebulae
Circumstellar dust
James Webb Space Telescope
title JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
title_full JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
title_fullStr JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
title_full_unstemmed JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
title_short JWST/MIRI Study of the Enigmatic Mid-infrared Rings in the Planetary Nebula NGC 1514
title_sort jwst miri study of the enigmatic mid infrared rings in the planetary nebula ngc 1514
topic Planetary nebulae
Circumstellar dust
James Webb Space Telescope
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/adbbcf
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