Paper detail

Properties of central stars of planetary nebulae with distances in Gaia DR2

Context. We have compiled a catalogue of central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPN) with reliable distances and positions obtained from Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) astrometry. Distances derived from parallaxes allow us to analyse the galactic distribution and estimate other parameters such as sizes, kinematical ages, bolometric magnitudes, and luminosities. Aims. Our objective is to analyse the information regarding distances together with other available literature data about photometric properties, nebular kinematics, and stellar effective temperatures to throw new light on this rapid and rather unknown evolutionary phase. We seek to understand how Gaia distances compare with other indirect methods commonly used and, in particular, with those derived from non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) models; how many planetary nebulae (PNe) populate the Galaxy; and how are they spatially distributed. We also aim to comprehend their intrinsic luminosities, range of physical sizes of the nebulae; how to derive the values for their kinematical ages; and whether those ages are compatible with those derived from evolutionary models. Methods. We considered all PNe listed in catalogues from different authors and in Hong Kong/AAO/Strasbourg/Hα(HASH) database. By X-matching their positions with Gaia DR2 astrometry we were able to identify 1571 objects in Gaia second archive, for which we assumed distances calculated upon a Bayesian statistical approach. From those objects, we selected a sample of PNe with good quality parallax measurements and distance derivations, we which refer to as our Golden Astrometry PNe sample (GAPN), and obtained literature values of their apparent sizes, radial and expansion velocities, visual magnitudes, interstellar reddening, and effective temperatures.