A massive parsec-scale dust ring nebula around the yellow hypergiant Hen3-1379

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a massive, parsec-scale dust ring nebula around the yellow hypergiant Hen3-1379, providing evidence that such nebulae can be ejected during the red supergiant phase, prior to the luminous blue variable stage.

Contribution

It presents the first detection of a large dust ring around Hen3-1379, suggesting a new evolutionary link between red supergiants and LBV nebulae.

Findings

The nebula is a 1 pc diameter ring with 0.17 Msun of dust.

Total gas mass of the nebula is estimated at 7 Msun.

The nebula was ejected approximately 16,000 years ago.

Abstract

On the basis of far-infrared images obtained by the Herschel Space Observatory, we report the discovery of a large and massive dust shell around the yellow hypergiant Hen3-1379 . The nebula appears as a detached ring of 1 pc diameter which contains 0.17 Msun of dust. We estimate the total gas mass to be 7 Msun, ejected some 16000 years ago. The ring nebula is very similar to nebulae found around luminous blue variables (LBVs) except it is not photoionized. We argued that Hen3-1379 is in a pre-LBV stage, providing direct evidence that massive LBV ring nebulae can be ejected during the red supergiant phase.