A long trail behind the planetary nebula HFG1 (PK 136+05) and its precataclysmic binary central star V664 Cas

TL;DR

This paper presents a deep imaging study of the planetary nebula HFG1 and its binary central star V664 Cas, revealing a 20-arcminute long trail of shocked material indicating the star's motion through interstellar space.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed imaging evidence of a long trail of shocked material behind V664 Cas, linking nebular features to stellar motion and interaction with interstellar media.

Findings

A 20' long emission trail is observed behind V664 Cas.

The trail is approximately 10^5 years old.

V664 Cas is moving through interstellar space at 29-59 km/s.

Abstract

A deep wide-field image in the light of the Halpha+[N II] emission lines, of the planetary nebula HFG1 which surrounds the precataclysmic binary system V664 Cas, has revealed a tail of emission at least 20' long, at a position angle of 316deg. Evidence is presented which suggests that this is an ~10^5 y old trail of shocked material, left behind V664 Cas as it ejects matter whilst ploughing through its local interstellar media at anywhere between 29 and 59 km/s depending on its distance from the Sun.