The messy death of a multiple star system and the resulting planetary nebula as observed by JWST

TL;DR

JWST observations of planetary nebula NGC3132 reveal complex structures shaped by multiple stellar companions, providing new insights into stellar evolution, outflows, and binary interactions.

Contribution

This study presents the first JWST imaging of a planetary nebula, uncovering detailed structures and interactions in a likely quadruple star system, and models the nebula's hydrodynamics.

Findings

Detection of spiral structures in the molecular halo

Identification of a dusty disk around the central star

Precise measurement of the progenitor star's mass (2.86 solar masses)

Abstract

Planetary nebulae (PNe), the ejected envelopes of red giant stars, provide us with a history of the last, mass-losing phases of 90 percent of stars initially more massive than the Sun. Here, we analyse James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observation (ERO) images of the PN NGC3132. A structured, extended H2 halo surrounding an ionised central bubble is imprinted with spiral structures, likely shaped by a low-mass companion orbiting the central star at 40-60 AU. The images also reveal a mid-IR excess at the central star interpreted as a dusty disk, indicative of an interaction with another, closer companion. Including the previously known, A-type visual companion, the progenitor of the NGC3132 PN must have been at least a stellar quartet. The JWST images allow us to generate a model of the illumination, ionisation and hydrodynamics of the molecular halo, demonstrating the power of JWST to investigate complex stellar outflows. Further, new measurements of the A-type visual companion allow us to derive the value for the mass of the progenitor of a central star to date with excellent precision: 2.86+/-0.06 Mo. These results serve as path finders for future JWST observations of PNe providing unique insight into fundamental astrophysical processes including colliding winds, and binary star interactions, with implications for supernovae and gravitational wave systems.