Open AccessMultifibre spectroscopy of the supernova remnant candidate RCW 114
Author(s) -
Walker A.J.,
Zealey W.J.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04423.x
Subject(s) - physics , supernova remnant , astrophysics , supernova , interstellar medium , nebula , spectroscopy , crab nebula , astronomy , stars , pulsar , galaxy
RCW 114 is a filamentary nebula of about 250 arcmin diameter. Based on its large diameter‐to‐filament‐width ratio, the expansion velocity, distance and size of the shell, it has been suggested that RCW 114 is a supernova remnant in its momentum‐conserving phase. Confirmation of this identification is important, as the large angular size and extensive optical emission of this object will allow for detailed study to improve our knowledge of supernova remnants and their interaction with the interstellar medium. We have used the FLAIR instrument on the UK Schmidt Telescope to obtain optical spectra of several filaments in RCW 114. These confirm that the emission is being produced by the interaction of the shock wave of a supernova remnant with the surrounding interstellar medium. We also obtained narrow‐band H α +[N ii ] and [S ii ] images to examine the spatial variation in ionization structure.