Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Aquila (Aql)
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Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula, Geoff Healey
Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula
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Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula

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Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula, Geoff Healey
Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula
Powered byPixInsight

Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula

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Discovered in 1946 by Rudolph Minkowski, Sharpless 2-71 (Sh2-71) is located in the direction of the constellation Aquila at a distance of 3,260 light years from us.On the triple-star origin of the planetary nebula Sh 2-71, an abstract by Authors David Jones,  Ondřej Pejcha,  Romano L M CorradiRecent studies have indicated that triple-star systems may play a role in the formation of an appreciable number of planetary nebulae, however, only one triple central star is known to date (and that system is likely too wide to have had much influence on the evolution of its component stars). Here, we consider the possibility that Sh 2-71 was formed by a triple system that has since broken apart. We present the discovery of two regions of emission, seemingly aligned with the proposed tertiary orbit (i.e. in line with the axis formed by the two candidate central star systems previously considered in the literature). We also perform a few simple tests of the plausibility of the triple hypothesis based on the observed properties (coordinates, radial velocities, distances, and proper motions) of the stars observed close to the projected centre of the nebula, adding further support through numerical integrations of binary orbits responding to mass loss. Although a number of open questions remain, we conclude that Sh 2-71 is currently one of the best candidates for planetary nebula formation influenced by triple-star interactions. Courtesy Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 489, Issue 2, October 2019.

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Sharpless 2-71 an unusual planetary nebula, Geoff Healey