Optical identification of dust within the Crab Nebula's filaments

Journal Article · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/185676· OSTI ID:6851779

Fesen, R; Blair, W P ^[1]

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1. Colorado Univ., Boulder (USA) Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (USA) Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (USA)

Optical continuum images of the Crab Nebula are presented which reveal numerous, small dark spots across the face of the Crab's amorphous synchrotron nebula. These spots range in size from being unresolved at 0.8-arcsec resolution to about 5 arcsec, exhibit Delta(m)4470 = 0.08-0.44, and are most visible in the shorter-wavelength continuum images. Comparisons with images taken using interference filters centered on various emission lines indicate that these dark features are coincident with forbidden O I, C I, and S II bright cores of selected filaments. This positional coincidence plus a wavelength dependence similar to that exhibited by conventional interstellar dust establishes the presence of dust within at least some of the Crab Nebula's filaments. 26 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6851779
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 351; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
CRAB NEBULA
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
FORBIDDEN TRANSITIONS
IMAGES
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MORPHOLOGY
NEBULAE
RADIATIONS
SPACE
SPECTRA
STARS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
SUPERNOVAE
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
VARIABLE STARS
VISIBLE RADIATION