| Issue |
A&A
Volume 477, Number 2, January II 2008
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | L17 - L20 | |
| Section | Letters | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20078950 | |
| Published online | 20 November 2007 | |
Letter to the Editor
A peculiar planetary nebula candidate in a globular cluster in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy*
Astronomical Institute, University of Utrecht, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands e-mail: larsen@astro.uu.nl
Received:
28
October
2007
Accepted:
12
November
2007
Context.Until now, only one planetary nebula (PN) has been known in the Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy.
Aims.The discovery of a second PN candidate, associated with one of the 5 globular clusters in the Fornax dwarf, is reported.
Methods.Spectra of the globular cluster H5, obtained with the UVES
echelle spectrograph on the ESO Very Large Telescope, show [O III] line
emission at a radial velocity consistent with membership of the Fornax
dwarf. A possible counterpart of the [O III] emission is
identified in archival images from the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on
board the Hubble Space Telescope. The source of the emission is located about
1
5 (less than one core radius) southwest of the centre of the cluster.
Results.The emission line source is identified as a likely PN, albeit with
several peculiar properties. No Hβ, He I, or He II line
emission is detected and the [O III]/Hβ ratio is >25 (2σ).
The expansion velocity inferred
from the [O III] 5007 Å line is 
55 km s-1, which is large
for a PN. The diameter measured on the HST images is about 023
or 0.15 pc at the distance of the Fornax dSph.
Conclusions.This object doubles the number of known PNe in Fornax, and is only the 5th PN associated with an old GC for which direct imaging is available. It may be a member of the rare class of extremely H-deficient PNe, the second such case found in a GC.
Key words: galaxies: individual: Fornax dwarf spheroidal / galaxies: star clusters / stars: AGB and post-AGB / planetary nebulae: individual: general
© ESO, 2007
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