Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T17:20:40.831Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Search for Cool Companions of Planetary Nebula Nuclei

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2016

A. F. Bentley*
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Sciences, Eastern Montana College, Billings, Montana 59101

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

At present only a small number of planetary nebulae are known to possess binary nuclei. Since approximately 2/3 of main sequence stars are members of binary or multiple star systems, one might expect a large fraction of PN central stars to have gravitationally bound companions. Additionally, late-type stars are more numerous, and due to their low luminosities would be difficult to detect by visual observational methods at distances where PN are typically found (≧ 1 kpc). (Only 5 known PN are thought to be nearer than 0.5 kpc). It is thus possible, and in our view probable, that a significant number of PN nuclei possess cool companions, hitherto undetected.

Type
III. Central Stars
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1989