LoTr 5

LoTr 5
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension12h 55m 33.7462s[1]
Declination+25° 53′ 30.561″[1]
Distance1,650 ± 39 ly   (506 ± 12[2] pc)
Apparent diameter~500″[3]
ConstellationComa Berenices
Physical characteristics
Radius1.8 ly   (0.55[4] pc)
DesignationsPN G339.9+88.4[5]
See also: Lists of nebulae

LoTr 5 is a large, faint planetary nebula in the constellation of Coma Berenices. In 2018, its parallax was measured by Gaia, giving a distance of about 1,650 light-years (510 parsecs).[1][2]

As of 2018, LoTr 5 has the highest galactic latitude of any known planetary nebula, being only 1.5 degrees away from the galactic north pole.[6] Scientists noted this because if the distance of the nebula were found to be greater than a few hundred parsecs, then the gas from the nebula would be expanding into the galactic halo, where there is little interaction with the interstellar medium.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051.
  2. ^ a b Kővári, Zs.; Strassmeier, K. G.; Oláh, K.; Kriskovics, L.; Vida, K.; Carroll, T. A.; Granzer, T.; Ilyin, I.; Jurcsik, J.; Kővári, E.; Weber, M. (2019). "Surface magnetic activity of the fast-rotating G5 giant IN Comae, central star of the faint planetary nebula LoTr 5". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 624: A83. arXiv:1902.09460. Bibcode:2019A&A...624A..83K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834810. S2CID 118977429.
  3. ^ a b Graham, M. F.; Meaburn, J.; Lopez, J. A.; Harman, D. J.; Holloway, A. J. (2004). "The bipolarity of the highest Galactic latitude planetary nebula, LoTr 5 (PN G339.9+88.4), around IN Com". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 347 (4): 1370–1378. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.347.1370G. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07342.x.
  4. ^ Jasniewicz, G.; Thevenin, F.; Monier, R.; Skiff, B. A. (1996). "The central star of LoTr 5 revisited". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 307: 200. Bibcode:1996A&A...307..200J.
  5. ^ "PN LoTr 5". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  6. ^ Aller, A.; Lillo-Box, J.; Vučković, M.; Van Winckel, H.; Jones, D.; Montesinos, B.; Zorotovic, M.; Miranda, L. F. (2018). "A new look inside planetary nebula LoTr 5: A long-period binary with hints of a possible third component". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 476 (1): 1140–1150. arXiv:1801.06032. Bibcode:2018MNRAS.476.1140A. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty174. S2CID 119477283.