STScI Preprint #1270
Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of universities for research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555
The morphology of planetary nebulae (PNe) provides an essential tool for understanding their origin and evolution, as it reflects both the dynamics of the gas ejected during the TP-AGB phase, and the central star energetics. Here we study the morphology of 27 Magellanic Cloud planetary nebulae (MCPNe) and present an analysis of their physical characteristics across morphological classes. Similar studies have been successfully carried out for galactic PNe, but were compromised by the uncertainty of individual PN distances. We present our own HST/FOC images of 15 Magellanic Cloud PNe (MCPNe) acquired through a narrow-band 5007 [OIII] filter. We use the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution technique on these pre-COSTAR images to achieve post-COSTAR quality. Three PNe imaged before and after COSTAR confirm the high reliability of our deconvolution procedure. We derive morphological classes, dimensions, and surface photometry for all these PNe. We have combined this sample with HST/PC1 images of 15 MCPNe, three of which are in common with the FOC set, acquired by Dopita et al. (1996), to obtain the largest MCPN sample ever examined from the morphological viewpoint. By using the whole database, supplemented with published data from the literature, we have analyzed the properties of the MCPNe and compared them to a typical, complete galactic sample. Morphology of the MCPNe is then correlated with PN density, chemistry, and evolution.
1) Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
2) Affiliated to the Astrophysics Division, Space Science Department of ESA
3) On leave, Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna
4) Present address: Department of Computer Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Scotland
5) Department of Physics, Astronomy University College London Gower Street London WC1 6BT, UK