The Antares emission nebula and mass loss of alpha Sco A

TL;DR

This paper investigates the Antares emission nebula and estimates the mass-loss rate of alpha Sco A by analyzing high-resolution spectra, revealing its physical properties and emission characteristics.

Contribution

It provides new high-resolution spectral data and analysis of the Antares nebula, offering insights into the nebula's physical nature and alpha Sco A's mass-loss rate.

Findings

Identification of emission lines in the nebula

Determination of the nebula's physical conditions

Estimate of alpha Sco A's mass-loss rate

Abstract

The Antares nebula is a peculiar emission nebula seen in numerous Fe II lines and in radio free-free emission, probably associated with the H II region caused by alpha Sco B in the wind of alpha Sco A. High-resolution spectra with spatial resolution were used to study the emission line spectrum, the physical nature of the nebula and to determine the mass-loss rate of the M supergiant alpha Sco A.