RCW 89
Coordinates: (320.4°, -1.0°)
[ Catalog | Explorer | SIMBAD ]
There is significant uncertainty about what object this entry in the RCW catalog actually refers to.
The RCW catalog describes this as a faint 4x4 arcminute nebula and the exact coordinates of the object appear to be the same as the radio HII region [KC97c] G320.4-01.1.
More recent sensitive studies such as the SHASSA hydrogen-alpha survey show that this nebula is next to and possibly part of a far larger region of emission centred on the extended star cluster / OB association Pismis 20.
SIMBAD identifies RCW 89 with the young supernova remnant SNR 320.4-01.0, and certainly emission from this supernova remnant dominates the nebula as the filaments in the image here show. A 2005 study gives a distance 5200 +/- 1400 parsecs and an age for the central pulsar of 1700 years.
Humphreys gives a distance of 3980 parsecs for Pismis 20 and lists 6 ionising stars, including the O 9.5 I supergiant Pismis 20 #11. SIMBAD lists several other hot stars in the same direction, including the O 8.5 I supergiant Pismis 20 #2, the O9 III giant Pismis 20 #9 and the Wolf-Rayet star WR 67.
A 1988 paper suggests that SNR 320.4-01.0 may be part of Pismis 20 and the currently available distance estimates seem to make this a possibility. Another possibility is that we are looking at two objects in this direction, with a large faint diffuse nebula surrounding Pismis 20 in the Centaurus arm and the brighter more distant SNR 320.4-01.0 located in the 3Kpc arm or perhaps the galactic bar region.
The Georgelins conclude that RCW 87, 88 and 89 are part of the same structure located at a distance of 3000-4000 pc, most likely closer to 3000 pc.
You can see a spectacular recent Chandra x-ray image of the pulsar wind nebula within the supernova remnant, often called the "Hand nebula", here. You can see the full extent of the nebula surrounding Pismis 20 in this false colour hydrogen-alpha image.
The RCW catalog describes this as a faint 4x4 arcminute nebula and the exact coordinates of the object appear to be the same as the radio HII region [KC97c] G320.4-01.1.
More recent sensitive studies such as the SHASSA hydrogen-alpha survey show that this nebula is next to and possibly part of a far larger region of emission centred on the extended star cluster / OB association Pismis 20.
SIMBAD identifies RCW 89 with the young supernova remnant SNR 320.4-01.0, and certainly emission from this supernova remnant dominates the nebula as the filaments in the image here show. A 2005 study gives a distance 5200 +/- 1400 parsecs and an age for the central pulsar of 1700 years.
Humphreys gives a distance of 3980 parsecs for Pismis 20 and lists 6 ionising stars, including the O 9.5 I supergiant Pismis 20 #11. SIMBAD lists several other hot stars in the same direction, including the O 8.5 I supergiant Pismis 20 #2, the O9 III giant Pismis 20 #9 and the Wolf-Rayet star WR 67.
A 1988 paper suggests that SNR 320.4-01.0 may be part of Pismis 20 and the currently available distance estimates seem to make this a possibility. Another possibility is that we are looking at two objects in this direction, with a large faint diffuse nebula surrounding Pismis 20 in the Centaurus arm and the brighter more distant SNR 320.4-01.0 located in the 3Kpc arm or perhaps the galactic bar region.
The Georgelins conclude that RCW 87, 88 and 89 are part of the same structure located at a distance of 3000-4000 pc, most likely closer to 3000 pc.
You can see a spectacular recent Chandra x-ray image of the pulsar wind nebula within the supernova remnant, often called the "Hand nebula", here. You can see the full extent of the nebula surrounding Pismis 20 in this false colour hydrogen-alpha image.
Supernova remnant may be part of Pismis 20. [1]
See this article for a recent review of this large and visible SNR. Gives a distance of 5200 +/- 1400 parsecs and a pulsar characteristic age of 1700 years.[2]
RCW 87, 88 and 89 are part of the same structure located at a distance of 3000-4000 pc, most likely closer to 3000 pc.[3]
1700 years old[4]
See this article for a recent review of this large and visible SNR. Gives a distance of 5200 +/- 1400 parsecs and a pulsar characteristic age of 1700 years.[2]
RCW 87, 88 and 89 are part of the same structure located at a distance of 3000-4000 pc, most likely closer to 3000 pc.[3]
1700 years old[4]
Notes
1. ^ Peterson, C. J. (1988). "UBV Photometry in Four Southern Open Clusters Associated (?) with Supernova Remnants", Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 20, 716. [1988BAAS...20..716P]
2. ^ Yatsu, Y., Kawai, N., Kataoka, J., et al. (2005). "Chandra Observation of the Interaction between the Hot Plasma Nebula RCW 89 and the Pulsar Jet of PSR B1509-58", The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 631, 312-319. [2005ApJ...631..312Y]
3. ^ Georgelin, Y. M., Boulesteix, J., Georgelin, Y. P., et al. (1987). "Galactic structure around longitude L = 317 deg determined from CIGALE observations", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 174, 257-269. [1987A&A...174..257G]
4. ^ Gaensler, B. M., Brazier, K. T. S., Manchester, R. N., et al. (1999). "SNR G320.4-01.2 and PSR B1509-58: new radio observations of a complex interacting system", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 305, 724-736. [1999MNRAS.305..724G]
Distance estimates
3000 pc [1987A&A...174..257G]Links
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Most of the sources used to create these nebula descriptions are listed in the
notes section for each description. In some cases,
for example the Avedisova, Humphreys and Reed catalogs, the source is used extensively and is not listed in the
individual nebula descriptions. See this catalog overview
for more information on the catalogs and the general sources used
to create these descriptions and this introduction to HII regions
on the general history of this area of astronomy.
This image was created using the POSS-II/UKSTU data of the Digitized Sky Survey and SuperCOSMOS using the process described here.
According to my correspondence with the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and the Space Telescope Science Institute, I am allowed to use the POSS-II/UKSTU data to create and display images for non-commercial purposes so long as I include this fine print for the SuperCOSMOS data:
Use of these images is courtesy of the UK Schmidt Telescope (copyright in which is owned by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the UK and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board) and the Southern Sky Survey as created by the SuperCOSMOS measuring machine and are reproduced here with permission from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
and this acknowledgement taken from the DSS site:
The Digitized Sky Surveys were produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under U.S. Government grant NAG W-2166. The images of these surveys are based on photographic data obtained using the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain and the UK Schmidt Telescope. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with the permission of these institutions.
The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation.
The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt.
The "Second Epoch Survey" of the southern sky was made by the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1993-5 by the Anglo-Australian Observatory Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The "Equatorial Red Atlas" of the southern sky was made with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1992-5, jointly by the UK SERC/PPARC (Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, formerly Science and Engineering Research Council) and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement. The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement.