Observations of the OH airglow emission

Maihara, Toshinori; Iwamuro, Fumihide; Yamashita, Takuya; Hall, Donald N. B.; Cowie, L. L.; Tokunaga, A. T.; Pickles, Andrew

doi:10.1086/133259

Cited by 94 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The wavelength calibration is based on exposures of an Ar+Xe arc lamp with the same wavelength setting as the target observations. Additionally, OH skylines (Oliva & Origlia 1992;Maihara et al 1993;Rousselot et al 2000) and telluric absorption lines (Hadrava 2006) were used for the fine adjustment of the wavelength calibration.…”

Section: Infrared Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

VLT observations of the asymmetric Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18

Clyne

Redman

Lloyd

et al. 2014

A&A

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Context. The mechanisms that form extreme bipolar planetary nebulae remain unclear. Aims. The physical properties, structure, and dynamics of the bipolar planetary nebula, MyCn 18, are investigated in detail with the aim of understanding the shaping mechanism and evolutionary history of this object. Methods. VLT infrared images, VLT ISAAC infrared spectra, and long-slit optical Echelle spectra are used to investigate MyCn 18. Morpho-kinematic modelling was used to firmly constrain the structure and kinematics of the source. A timescale analysis was used to determine the kinematical age of the nebula and its main components. Results. A spectroscopic study of MyCn 18's central and offset region reveals the detailed make-up of its nebular composition. Molecular hydrogen, atomic helium, and Bracket gamma emission are detected from the central regions of MyCn 18. ISAAC spectra from a slit position along the narrow waist of the nebula demonstrate that the ionised gas resides closer to the centre of the nebula than the molecular emission. A final reconstructed 3D model of MyCn 18 was generated, which provides kinematical information on the expansion velocity of its nebular components by means of position-velocity (P-V) arrays. A kinematical age of the nebula and its components were obtained by the P-V arrays and timescale analysis. Conclusions. The structure and kinematics of MyCn 18 are better understood using an interactive 3D modelling tool called SHAPE. A dimensional and timescale analysis of MyCn 18's major components provides a possible mechanism for the nebula's asymmetry. The putative central star is somewhat offset from the geometric centre of the nebula, which is thought to be the result of a binary system. We speculate that the engulfing and destruction of an exoplanet during the asymptotic giant branch phase may have been a key event in shaping MyCn 18 and generating of its hypersonic knotty outflow.

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Section: Infrared Spectroscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

VLT observations of the asymmetric Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18

Clyne

Redman

Lloyd

et al. 2014

A&A

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“…When developing designs for FIRE, we relied on two estimates of the sky continuum: Maihara et al (1993) Fig. 2 of Maihara et al (1993).…”

Section: 3comparison With Previous Sky Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 of Maihara et al (1993). The blue line indicates the sky level measured by Maihara at Mauna Kea, and the red bar indicates the region over which our median sky spectrum is compared to it.…”

Section: 3comparison With Previous Sky Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Calibrated Measurement of the Near-IR Continuum Sky Brightness Using Magellan/FIRE

Sullivan

Simcoe

2012

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

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ABSTRACT. We characterize the near-IR sky background from 308 observations with the Folded-port InfraRed Echellette (FIRE) spectrograph at Magellan. A subset of 105 observations selected to minimize lunar and thermal effects gives a continuous, median spectrum from 0.83 to 2.5 μm, which we present in Table 2(see the online edition of the PASP for this table). The data are used to characterize the broadband continuum emission between atmospheric OH features and correlate its properties with observing conditions such as lunar angle and time of night. We find that the Moon contributes significantly to the inter-line continuum in Y and J bands, whereas the observed H-band continuum is dominated by the blended Lorentzian wings of multiple OH line profiles, even at R ¼ 6000. Lunar effects may be mitigated in Y and J through careful scheduling of observations, but the most ambitious near-IR programs will benefit from allocation during dark observing time if those observations are not limited by read noise. In Y and J, our measured continuum exceeds space-based average estimates of the zodiacal light, but it is not readily identified with known terrestrial foregrounds. If further measurements confirm such a fundamental background, it would impact requirements for OH-suppressed instruments operating in this regime.

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“…The similarities between both bands are mostly due to the fact that the sky brightness is dominated in both of them by very intense OH bands. The J band covers the 7-4 and 8-5 OH bands, while the H band covers the 4-2, 5-3, and 6-4 ones (e.g., Chamberlain 1961;Maihara et al 1993;Leinert et al 1998). On the other hand, the air-mass dependency is weaker in the K band.…”

Section: Dependency On the Zenith Distancementioning

confidence: 99%

The Night Sky at the Calar Alto Observatory II: The Sky at the Near-infrared

Sánchez

Thiele

Aceituno

et al. 2008

PUBL ASTRON SOC PAC

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ABSTRACT. We present the characterization of additional properties of the night sky at the Calar Alto observatory, following the study started by Sánchez et al. in 2007. We focus here on the night-sky brightness at the nearinfrared, the telescope seeing, and the fraction of useful time at the observatory. For this study we have collected a large data set comprising 7311 near-infrared images taken regularly along the last four years for the ALHAMBRA survey (J, H, and K s bands), together with a more reduced data set of additional near-infrared images taken for the current study. In addition, we collected the information derived by the meteorological station at the observatory during the last 10 yar, together with the results from the cloud sensor for the last ∼2 yr. We analyze the dependency of the near-infrared night-sky brightness with the air mass and the seasons, studying its origins and proposing a zenithal correction. A strong correlation is found between the night-sky brightness in the K s band and the air temperature, with a gradient of ∼ À 0:08 mag per 1°C. The typical (darkest) night-sky brightness in the J, H, and K s -band are 15.95 mag (16.95 mag), 13.99 mag (14.98 mag), and 12.39 mag (13.55 mag), respectively. These values have been derived for the first time for this observatory, showing that Calar Alto is as dark in the near-infrared as most of the other astronomical sites in the world with which we could compare it. Only Mauna Kea is clearly darker in the K s band, but not only compared to Calar Alto but to any other observatory in the world. The typical telescope seeing and its distribution were derived on the basis of the FWHM of the stars detected in the considered near-infrared images. This value, ∼1:0 00 when converted to the V band, is only slightly larger than the atmospheric seeing measured at the same time by the seeing monitor, ∼0:9 00 . Therefore, the effects different from the atmosphere produce a reduced degradation on the telescope seeing, of the order of ∼10%. Finally we estimate the fraction of useful time based on the relative humidity, gust wind speed, and presence of clouds. This fraction, ∼72%, is very similar to the one derived in 2007, based on the fraction of time when the extinction monitor is working.

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Observations of the OH airglow emission

Cited by 94 publications

References 7 publications

VLT observations of the asymmetric Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18

VLT observations of the asymmetric Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18

A Calibrated Measurement of the Near-IR Continuum Sky Brightness Using Magellan/FIRE

The Night Sky at the Calar Alto Observatory II: The Sky at the Near-infrared

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