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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Ic 4663: The First Unambiguous [Wn] Wolf–Rayet Central Star Of A Planetary Nebula, B. Miszalski, P. A. Crowther, O. De Marco, J. Koppen, A. F. J. Moffat, Agnes Acker, Todd Hillwig
Ic 4663: The First Unambiguous [Wn] Wolf–Rayet Central Star Of A Planetary Nebula, B. Miszalski, P. A. Crowther, O. De Marco, J. Koppen, A. F. J. Moffat, Agnes Acker, Todd Hillwig
Todd Hillwig
We report on the serendipitous discovery of the first central star of a planetary nebula (PN) that mimics the helium- and nitrogen-rich WN sequence of massive Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars. The central star of IC 4663 (PN G346.2−08.2) is dominated by broad He II and N V emission lines which correspond to a [WN3] spectral type. Unlike previous [WN] candidates, the surrounding nebula is unambiguously a PN. At an assumed distance of 3.5 kpc, corre- sponding to a stellar luminosity of 4000 L⊙, the V = 16.9 mag central star remains 4–6 mag fainter than the average …