Other
Scientific paper
Feb 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000noao.prop..188h&link_type=abstract
NOAO Proposal ID #2000A-0188
Other
Scientific paper
The most massive stars evolve across the HR diagram at roughly constant bolometric luminosity, and at times they can become highly unstable and suffer extreme mass-loss. The most luminous examples of these stars are exceedingly rare and their rapid evolution is poorly understood. Our recent HST/WFPC2 and ground-based IR imaging observations of two of these stars, IRC+10420 and VY CMa, have yielded some very surprising results about their circumstellar environments. The observed structures include evidence for bipolarity, equatorial disks, and multiple high mass-loss events. HST/WFPC2 observations will be obtained during cycle 9 for several other evolved massive stars. Although imaging has allowed us to detect emission from circumstellar shells around these luminous stars, spectroscopy is needed to investigate the kinematics and physical conditions in the circumstellar environments. We are proposing to obtain long-slit, moderate- and high- resolution 1 to 5 µ spectroscopy to study the mass-loss from several massive stars at different evolutionary stages across the top of the HR diagram. These near-IR spectra are needed to interpret the structures in our HST/WFPC2 data and recent HST/STIS data.
Davidson Kris
Gehrz Robert D.
Humphreys Roberta M.
Smith Nathan
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