Faint Emission Lines and Temperature Fluctuations in M8

Esteban, C.; Peimbert, Manuel; Torres-Peimbert, Silvia; García-Rojas, Jorge; Rodríguez, Mónica
Bibliographical reference

The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Volume 120, Issue 1, pp. 113-129.

Advertised on:
1
1999
Number of authors
5
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
68
Refereed citations
64
Description
We present echelle spectroscopy in the 3500-10300 Å range of the Hourglass Nebula, which is embedded in the Galactic H II region M8. The data were obtained using the 2.1 m telescope at Observatorio Astronómico Nacional in San Pedro Mártir, Baja California. We have measured the intensities of 274 emission lines, in particular 88 permitted lines of C^+, N^0, N^+, O^0, O^+, Ne^0, S^0, S^+, Si^0, Si^+, and Si^++, some of them produced by recombination only and others mainly by fluorescence. We have determined electron temperatures and densities using different line intensity ratios. We derive the He^+, C^++, O^+, and O^++ ionic abundances as well as-for the first time in a nebular object-the total O abundance from recombination lines; these nebular values are independent of the temperature structure of the nebula. We have also derived abundances from collisionally excited lines for a large number of ions and elements; these abundances do depend on the temperature structure. Accurate t^2 values have been derived by comparing the C^++, O^+, and O^++ ionic abundances obtained making use of both collisionally excited lines and recombination lines. A comparison of the solar, Orion Nebula, and M8 chemical abundances is made.