Studying the Polarization of Protoplanetary Nebulae using Newly Developed Polarization Sensitive Imaging Sensors

The goal of this project was to test a new camera equipped with the Sony IMX250 polarization sensor in order to image astronomical objects. When searching for candidates, we looked for objects that were optically bright and exhibited a high degree of linear polarization. Before imaging, we carried out experiments to determine the linearity of the sensor and the polarization orientation of the pixels, as well as to quantify the offset and gain scales. After these initial experiments, the camera was mounted to the Meade LX600 12-inch telescope and used to image the Egg Nebula (CRL 2688) and the Footprint Nebula (M1-92). Initial results from these imaging sessions will be presented. A strongly polarized background that is present in the Footprint Nebula images (and not in the Egg Nebula images) will be explored. Future steps for the project include investigating the impact of environmental factors on astronomical imaging, as well as extending our candidate pool to include optically bright, linearly polarized quasars.