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| Paper: |
Planetary nebulae as distance indicators |
| Volume: |
4, The Extragalactic Distance Scale: Proceedings of the ASP 100th Anniversary Symposium |
| Page: |
42 |
| Authors: |
Jacoby, George H.; Ciardullo, Robin; Ford, Holland C. |
| Abstract: |
The use of galactic PN luminosity functions as distance indicators is examined, summarizing the results of recent observations in the 5007-A forbidden line of O III. The history of extragalactic PN observations is recalled; the observational and theoretical principles of the PN-based distance-estimation method are discussed; and particular attention is given to the limited influence of metallicity and the methods employed for identification, digital photometry, and statistical analysis. Three observational validations of the PN method are presented, one comparing the estimates obtained by different methods for the Sb galaxy M 81, one comparing PN-based estimates for galaxies in the NGC 3379 group, and one comparing fields within NGC 5128. The practical advantages of the PN method over other distance-estimation schemes are listed and discussed. |
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