WHTZ 1: A high excitation Planetary Nebula not a gaseous cocoon from runaway star HD 185806

TL;DR

This paper provides evidence that the nebula around star HD 185806 is a high excitation planetary nebula, not a bow shock from a runaway star, based on imagery, spectroscopy, and Gaia data.

Contribution

The study reclassifies the nebula as a planetary nebula using multi-faceted data, challenging previous interpretations of it as a bow shock.

Findings

The nebula is centered on a Gaia G~16 blue star.

Spectroscopic data indicate high excitation typical of planetary nebulae.

Imagery supports the nebula's classification as a planetary nebula.

Abstract

We present evidence that the nebular cocoon and bow-shock emission nebula putatively and recently reported as deriving from the 9th magnitude "runaway" star HD 185806 is the previously discovered but obscure planetary nebula WHTZ 1 (Ra 7). It has a Gaia DR3 G~16 blue ionizing star at its geometric centre. We present imagery, spectroscopy, other data and arguments to support that this emission source is a high excitation Planetary Nebula not a stellar wind bow shock.