“Astonishing” – Cat’s Eye Nebula Seen in 3D for the First Time



A pair of symmetric rings may be seen around the Cat's Eye Nebula's outer shell in the first computer-generated three-dimensional model of the nebula. The rings' symmetry suggests that a precessing jet coming from the nebula's main star created them. This offers solid proof that the nebula's center is a binary star system. Ryan Clairmont served as the study's principal investigator, and it was just published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.


When a dying star expels its outer layer of gas, it generates a structure that is unique to planetary nebulae and is colorful and shell-like. One of the most intricate planetary nebulae is NGC 6543, sometimes known as the Cat's Eye Nebula. It is located in the constellation Draco and is little over 3,000 light-years from Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope has also captured the Cat's Eye Nebula in remarkable detail, revealing its intricate structure of knots, spherical shells, and arc-like filaments.

Because the nebula's strange structure could not be explained by previously accepted theories for planetary nebula creation, astrophysicists were baffled by it. Precessing jets were identified as probable shaping mechanisms in complicated planetary nebulae like NGC 6543 in more recent study, but a thorough model was lacking.

In order to learn more about the likely process that gave the Cat's Eye its intricate shape, Clairmont, an astronomy aficionado, decided to attempt to establish the precise 3D structure of the object. The National Autonomous University of Mexico's Dr. Wolfgang Steffen and the University of Calgary's Nico Koning, who created the 3D astrophysical modeling program SHAPE that is especially suited for planetary nebulae, helped him with this.

The three-dimensional structure of the nebula was reconstructed by the researchers using spectral data from the San Pedro Martir National Observatory in Mexico. These give precise details on the interior motion of the nebula's material. Clairmont created a unique 3D model using these data and photos from the Hubble Space Telescope, proving that rings of high-density gas were encircling the Cat's Eye's outer shell. Surprisingly, the rings are nearly symmetrical to one another, indicating that a jet—a stream of high-density gas expelled from the nebula's center star in opposite directions—formed the rings.

Precession, which resembles the wobbling action of a spinning top, was displayed by the jet. The Cat's Eye's rings were formed as the jet wobbled, or precessed, and traced a circle. The findings, however, show that the rings are only partial, proving that the precessing jet was only a transitory event and that it never completed a full 360-degree round. An essential piece of data for the idea of planetary nebulae is the length of outflows. The team's discoveries are compelling proof that a binary star system of this kind exists at the Cat's Eye's center because only binary stars can drive a precessing jet in a planetary nebula.

All of the characteristics visible in the Cat's Eye, including the jets and knots, were probably generated as the jet's angle and direction changed over time. Based on the orientation of the rings and the three-dimensional model, the researchers were able to determine the tilt and opening angle of the precessing jet.

The paper's principal author, Ryan Clairmont, a future undergraduate student at Stanford University, said, "When I first saw the Cat's Eye Nebula, it was astounding. Its structure was lovely and symmetrical. The fact that its 3D structure was not fully grasped astonished me much more.

"It was incredibly satisfying to be able to undertake my own astrophysics research that actually makes an impact in the area," he concluded. Because they are relatively uncommon in planetary nebulae, it is crucial to comprehend how they affect the formation of more intricate structures like the Cat's Eye. In the end, comprehending their formation offers insight into the ultimate fate of our Sun, which will eventually transform into a planetary nebula.

Reference: Ryan Clairmont, Wolfgang Steffen, and Nico Koning, "Morphokinematic modelling of the point-symmetric Cat's Eye, NGC 6543: Ring-like remnants of a precessing jet," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 15 September 2022.

By ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 

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