Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jul 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996hst..prop.6724w&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #6724
Mathematics
Logic
Hst Proposal Id #6724 Hot Stars
Scientific paper
P Cygni is the closest and best known example of a Luminous Blue Variable. LBVs are believed to be very massive stars in the late stages of their evolution. Typically they exhibit heavy mass loss via stellar winds which are slower than typical OB stars', large optical nebulae which are frequently bipolar, and unpredictable luminosity variations including occasional explosive outbursts. P Cyg displays all of these characteristics, but its optical nebula has only very recently been discovered owing to its low surface brightness. We have made a detailed study of P Cyg at radio wavelengths, discovering that it can vary dramatically on a very short timescale, and that it has a large nebula morphologically almost identical the optical nebula. Using ground-based instrumentation it has not been possible to ascertain whether the P Cyg nebula comprises a set of inhomogeneous, concentric rings {corresponding to discrete outbursts}, or a continuous distribution of blobs or filaments. We propose to use HST to obtain images in the NII Lambda6548, SII Lambda6731, and HAlpha lines with WFPC2. These images will be used to determine the morphology and to measure the N/S abundance ratio, which theory predicts should increase as the star evolves. The FOC will also be used to obtain high spatial resolution images in the HBeta line and nearby continuum. Further images obtained on a timescale of about 5 years will allow a direct measurement of the angular expansion of the nebula, and hence the distance and luminosity of P Cyg.
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