The expansion proper motions of the extraordinary giant lobes of the planetary nebula KjPn 8 revisited

Abstract

The primary aim is to establish a firm value for the distance to the extraordinary planetary nebula KjPn 8. Secondary aims are to measure the ages of the three giant lobes of this object as well as estimate the energy in the eruption, that caused the most energetic outflow, for comparison with that of an intermediate-luminosity optical transient (ILOT). For these purposes a mosaic of images in the Hα + [N ii] optical emission lines has been obtained with the new Aristarchos telescope in 2011 for comparison with the images of the KjPn 8 giant lobes present on the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSSI-R) 1954 and POSSII-R 1991 plates. Expansion proper motions of features over this 57 yr baseline in the outflows are present. Using these, a firm distance to KjPn 8 of 1.8 ± 0.3 kpc has been derived for now the angle of the latest outflow to the sky has been established from Hubble Space Telescope imagery of the nebular core. Previously, the uncertain predictions of a bow-shock model were used for this purpose. The dynamical ages of the three separate outflows that form the giant lobes of KjPn 8 are also directly measured as 3200, 7200 and ≥5 × 104 yr, respectively, which confirms their sequential ejection. Moreover, the kinetic energy of the youngest and most energetic of these is measured as ≈1047 erg which is compatible with an ILOT origin.