Candidates for the most [O III]λ5007-luminous planetary nebula in the Milky Way
4 affiliations
- 1Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)
- 2European Southern Observatory
- 3Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
- 4Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva
Abstract
Aims. The bright-end cutoff of the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF), defined by the [O III]λ5007 emission line magnitude as M* = −4.53, serves as a standard candle for extragalactic distance measurements. However, the physical properties of planetary nebulae (PNe) at the PNLF cutoff have been studied only in nearby galaxies, where the PNe appear mostly as point sources. The Galactic PNLF is further poorly constrained, primarily due to uncertainties in Galactic PN distances. Following a recent Galactic PNLF survey based on Gaia distances, we aim to characterise PN candidates at the Galactic PNLF cutoff. This is the first step towards comparing the extragalactic PNLF cutoff against its Galactic counterpart. Methods. We observed three PN candidates at the Galactic PNLF cutoff using the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer (PMAS). We determined their chemical abundances and constructed photoionisation models to derive the central star luminosity (L) and effective temperature (Teff). Based on their positions in the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram and kinematical ages, we constrained the central star masses and most likely distances consistent with the prediction of stellar evolution models. Using these distances, we determined the absolute magnitude in [O III]λ5007 emission line (M5007). The PMAS data also allowed us to distinguish the origin of emission lines between the central star and the nebula. Results. The PNe of our sample are located within the top 1 mag of the Galactic PNLF (−4.20 ≲ M5007 ≲ −3.60) and have similar nebular properties and a narrow progenitor mass range (1.30 − 1.75 M⊙). The measured extinction is mostly dominated by the foreground Galactic extinction. The trend between the circum-nebular extinction and central star mass of our PNe is in agreement with those derived in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M31. All PNe in our sample exhibit weak-emission line star (wels) features in their spectra, but we confirmed that some of these lines originate from the nebula. Conclusions. The PNe around the Galactic PNLF cutoff are similar in terms of their nebular properties and evolutionary stage. Their characteristics are also consistent with the most [O III]λ5007-luminous PNe in the LMC and M31. We demonstrate the importance of circum-nebular extinction and the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) for understanding the universality of PNLF as a standard candle.
Related
- IC 1297: The Most Distant Known X-ray Planetary Nebula and One of the Most Luminous
- Newly Identified Planetary Nebula Candidates in M31 using Deep-Learning Search of Hubble Space Telescope Images
- Intermediate- and high-resolution optical spectroscopy on the nascent planetary nebula Vy 2-2: Evidence of binary-star evolution
- Planetary Nebula Central Stars as Tracers of Planetary Nebula-Star Cluster Associations in the Galaxy
- Long-slit spectroscopy of the bipolar planetary nebula ESO\,428−05
BibTeX
@article{azlizan2026candidates,
title = {{Candidates for the most [O III]λ5007-luminous planetary nebula in the Milky Way}},
author = {Soemitro Azlizan A. and Roth Martin M. and Walsh Jeremy R. and Monreal-Ibero Ana and Pruijt Brigitte G. A. and Chornay Nicholas},
journal = {Astronomy \& Astrophysics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202661284},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202661284},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Candidates for the most [O III]λ5007-luminous planetary nebula in the Milky Way
AU - Soemitro Azlizan A.
AU - Roth Martin M.
AU - Walsh Jeremy R.
AU - Monreal-Ibero Ana
AU - Pruijt Brigitte G. A.
AU - Chornay Nicholas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Astronomy & Astrophysics
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202661284
UR - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202661284
AB - Aims. The bright-end cutoff of the planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF), defined by the [O III]λ5007 emission line magnitude as M* = −4.53, serves as a standard candle for extragalactic distance measurements. However, the physical properties of planetary nebulae (PNe) at the PNLF cutoff have been studied only in nearby galaxies, where the PNe appear mostly as point sources. The Galactic PNLF is further poorly constrained, primarily due to uncertainties in Galactic PN distances. Following a recent Galactic PNLF survey based on Gaia distances, we aim to characterise PN candidates at the Galactic PNLF cutoff. This is the first step towards comparing the extragalactic PNLF cutoff against its Galactic counterpart. Methods. We observed three PN candidates at the Galactic PNLF cutoff using the Potsdam Multi-Aperture Spectrophotometer (PMAS). We determined their chemical abundances and constructed photoionisation models to derive the central star luminosity (L) and effective temperature (Teff). Based on their positions in the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram and kinematical ages, we constrained the central star masses and most likely distances consistent with the prediction of stellar evolution models. Using these distances, we determined the absolute magnitude in [O III]λ5007 emission line (M5007). The PMAS data also allowed us to distinguish the origin of emission lines between the central star and the nebula. Results. The PNe of our sample are located within the top 1 mag of the Galactic PNLF (−4.20 ≲ M5007 ≲ −3.60) and have similar nebular properties and a narrow progenitor mass range (1.30 − 1.75 M⊙). The measured extinction is mostly dominated by the foreground Galactic extinction. The trend between the circum-nebular extinction and central star mass of our PNe is in agreement with those derived in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M31. All PNe in our sample exhibit weak-emission line star (wels) features in their spectra, but we confirmed that some of these lines originate from the nebula. Conclusions. The PNe around the Galactic PNLF cutoff are similar in terms of their nebular properties and evolutionary stage. Their characteristics are also consistent with the most [O III]λ5007-luminous PNe in the LMC and M31. We demonstrate the importance of circum-nebular extinction and the initial-final mass relation (IFMR) for understanding the universality of PNLF as a standard candle.
SN - 0004-6361
SN - 1432-0746
ER -