The etched hourglass nebula MyCn 18. I. Hubble Space Telescope observations

Abstract

We have obtained emission-line and continuum images of the young planetary nebula MyCn 18 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Although from the ground MyCn 18 appeared to have a triple-ring structure similar to SN 1987A, the HST images show that MyCn 18 has an overall hourglass shape. A series of arcs appear to be etched on the walls of the hourglass near its rims. In the complex central region of the nebula we find a small, inner hourglass structure and two rings. Ring 1 is a bright elliptical ring, and ring 2 a smaller, higher excitation ring. The outer and inner hourglass, and ring 1 and ring 2, all have different centers, and none are coincident wi..