Planetary Nebula Abell 30

Abell 30 (PK 208+33.1)
Abell 30 (PK 208+33.1): Planetary nebula in Cancer; 500 mm Cassegrain 3625 mm f/7.2; SBIG STL11K; 120+3*30 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2011 Radek Chromik [32]

History

The planetary nebula Abell 30 (PK 208+33.1) was discovered in 1964 by the American astronomer George Ogden Abell on the photo plates of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS). In 1966 he published a list of a total of 86 planetary nebulae discovered on the POSS photo plates. [332]

Physical Properties

Abell 30
Abell 30: Combination from HST, XMM-Newton and Chandra X-Ray data [415]

Abell 30 consists of a large spherical shell of low surface brightness with a diameter of about 120 arc seconds. Within about 10 arc seconds of the central star there are several bright clumps that contain very little hydrogen. These clumps could be explained by a rebirth scenario: After the central star became a white dwarf, it experienced a final thermal pulse. Most of the hydrogen in the star is built into the shell and burned into helium. [413] A variation in the light curve of the central star indicates a companion that circles it every 1.060±0.003 days. [414] The distance to Abell 30 is approximately 1702 pc. [145] It is estimated to be 12,500 years old. [415]

«Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae» Acker et al., 1992 [141]
Designations PN G208.5+33.2: A 30, PK 208+33.1
Right Ascension (J2000.0) 08h 46m 54s
Declination (J2000.0) +17° 52' 33"
Dimensions 127." (optical)
Distance 0.90 kpc
Expansion Velocity 40.0 (O-III) km/s
C-Star Designations AG82 107, CSI +18 -08440, UBV 8495
C-Star Magnitude U: 13.32, B: 14.32, V: 14.38
C-Star Spectral Type O VI, Of/WR(C)?
Discoverer ABELL 1964

Finder Chart

The planetary nebula Abell 30 (PK 208+33.1) is located in the constellation Cancer, about 35 arc minutes in a southeast direction from the 4 mag bright star Asellus Australis (δ Cancri). The best observation time is November to May.

Finder Chart Planetary Nebula Abell 30
Planetary Nebula Abell 30 in constellation Cancer. Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 20°

References