A catalog of planetary nebula candidates in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300

Abstract

[OIII]5007 on-band off-band images, obtained with the VLT and FORS2 spectrograph in two zones (center and outskirts) of the spiral galaxy NGC300, are analyzed searching for emission line objects. In particular we search for planetary nebula (PN) candidates to analyze their distribution and luminosity properties, to perform follow-up spectroscopy, and to study the planetary nebula luminosity function, PNLF. In the continuum-subtracted images, a large number of emission line objects were detected. From this sample we selected as PN candidates those objects with stellar appearance and no detectable central star. [OIII]5007 instrumental magnitudes were measured and calibrated by using spectrophotometric data from the follow-up spectroscopy. We identified more than a hundred PN candidates and a number of compact HII regions. The PN sample is the largest one reported for this galaxy so far. For all the objects we present coordinates, instrumental [OIII]5007 magnitudes and apparent nebular [OIII]5007 fluxes and magnitudes. The [OIII]5007 observed luminosity function for PNe (PNLF) was calculated for the whole sample and for the central and outskirts samples. The three PNLF are similar within uncertainties. We fit the empirical PNLF to the observed PNLF for all the samples. From our best fit for the whole sample we derived a maximum value for the apparent magnitudes of m*(5007)=22.019\pm0.022 and we obtained a tentative estimate of the distance modulus m(5007)-M(5007)= 26.29 {+0.12} {-0.22} mag, which agrees well with the recent value derived from Cepheid stars.