# A young multipolar planetary nebula in the making: IRAS 21282+5050

## TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution HST imaging to reveal the complex multipolar structure of the planetary nebula IRAS 21282+5050, suggesting early development of such features during post-AGB evolution.

## Contribution

It provides detailed morphological analysis and a 3-D model of IRAS 21282+5050, highlighting its multipolar nature and potential binary central star.

## Key findings

- IRAS 21282+5050 has multiple bipolar lobes and an elliptical shell.
- The nebula's structures are consistent with early post-AGB development.
- Spectral analysis indicates a cool companion star may influence nebula morphology.

## Abstract

We present high-angular-resolution {\it Hubble Space Telescope (HST)} optical and near-infrared imaging of the compact planetary nebula (PN) IRAS 21282+5050. Optical images of this object reveal several complex morphological structures including three pairs of bipolar lobes and an elliptical shell lying close to the plane of the sky. From near-infrared observations, we found a dust torus oriented nearly perpendicular to the major axis of elliptical shell. The results suggest that IRAS 21282+5050 is a multipolar PN, and these structures developed early during the post asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) evolution. From a three-dimensional (3-D) model, we derived the physical dimensions of these apparent structures. When the 3-D model is viewed from different orientations, IRAS 21282+5050 shows similar apparent structures as other multipolar PNs. Analysis of the spectral energy distribution and optical spectroscopic observations of the nebula suggests the presence of a cool companion to the hot central star responsible for the ionization of the nebula. Whether the binary nature of the central star has any relations with the multipolar structure of the nebula needs to be further investigated.