Spectroscopic and Imaging Survey of Planetary Nebulae

Planetary nebulae are regions of dust and gas that are formed from a dying star. The goal of this project is to measure the physical characteristics of three different planetary nebulae that are observable with the Breyo Observatory CDK700 0.7-m PlaneWave telescope located at Siena College. We use a shelyak LISA spectrograph to obtain R~1000 spectra that cover the full optical range. We also use an SBIG STL-11000M CCD to obtain images through the narrow band H-alpha, [OIII], and SDSS g and r filters. We measure the line ratios of the spectra to estimate the temperature of the nebulae, and we use the imaging to determine the spatial variations in the line emission. We use these data to compare the physical characteristics of each nebula. We present calibrated spectra and 3-color images of the Ring Nebula (M57), Dumbbell Nebula (M27), and the Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009), as well as an analysis of the line ratios in the spectrum of each nebulae.