MWC 349 - a bipolar nebula with a very hot central star
New high-resolution VLA observations of MWC 349 at 2 cm reveal it to be an axisymmetric object split by a dark lane about 0.1 arcsec wide. The radio morphology can be explained by a model in which the density of the wind from the central star is large in the equatorial plane but decreases toward the poles of the system; such a model was suggested by Morris (1981) to explain the optical appearance of bipolar nebulae. Observations of this peculiar object from radio to optical wavelengths are consistent with the interpretation that MWC 349 is an edge-on bipolar nebula with a very hot central star. Dust forms in the wind only in the equatorial plane, where it is shielded from the star's ionizing radiation. Study of MWC 349 should help elucidate the mechanisms for formation and destruction of dust under extreme conditions. 48 references.
- Research Organization:
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD; California Univ., Davis
- OSTI ID:
- 5556524
- Journal Information:
- Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 297; ISSN ASJOA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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