Far‐Ultraviolet and Hα Spectroscopy of SNR 0057−7226 in the Small Magellanic Cloud HiiRegion N66

N66/NGC346 is the largest and brightest HII region in the Small MagellanicCloud and contains at least one known supernova remnant SNR0057-7226. Opticalemission from the remnant is overwhelmed by the bright photoionized emissionfrom the nebula, but the remnant has been detected by way of far ultravioletabsorption lines. Here we present data from the Far Ultraviolet SpectroscopicExplorer (FUSE) satellite showing strong OVI and CIII emission from a positionat the edge of SNR0057-7226. We also present high-resolution, long-slit Halphaspectra across N66 showing high- and low-velocity emission correspondingclosely to the X-ray boundaries of the supernova remnant. We use these FUV andoptical data to determine the physical parameters of the shock and interactiongeometry with N66. We find that ionizing photons from the many massive clusterstars nearby likely affect the ionization balance in the post-shock gas,hindering the production of lower-ionization and neutral species. We discussthe importance and inherent difficulty of searching for supernova remnants inor near bright HII regions and suggest that the far ultraviolet provides aviable means to discover and study such remnants.