SuWt 2

SuWt 2

Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
Image of SuWt 2 taken from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension	13h 55m 43.23s
Declination	−59° 22′ 40.03″[1]
Distance	6,500 ly
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.52[1]
Constellation	Centaurus
Designations	PN G311.0+02.4, DENIS J135543.2-592239, GSC 08676-01161, 2MASS J13554323-5922398, PK 311+02 2[1]
See also: Lists of nebulae

SuWt 2 is a planetary nebula viewed almost edge-on^[2] in the constellation of Centaurus. It is believed that high UV radiation from an undiscovered white dwarf ionizes this nebula. Currently, there is a binary system consisting of two A-type main-sequence stars whose radiation is not sufficient to photo-ionize the surrounding nebula.^[3] The nebula is easily obscured by the brighter star, HD 121228.

It has been suggested that it has a triple stellar system. One of them, which is more massive than other two A-type main-sequence stars, evolved rapidly and became a red giant, swallowing the other two stars, and produced the planetary nebula.^[2]

1. ^ ^{a b c} "PN SuWt 2". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
2. ^ ^{a b} "White Dwarf Lost in Planetary Nebula". HubbleSite. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
3. ^ Danehkar, A.; Parker, Q. A.; Ercolano, B. (2013). "Observations and three-dimensional ionization structure of the planetary nebula SuWt 2". Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 434 (2): 1513–1530. arXiv:1307.2974. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.434.1513D. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1116.

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