Title: Water fountain stars and their connection to planetary nebulae 

Speaker: Dr. Gabor Orosz (Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, CAS) 

Location: Small Conference Room, 3^rd Floor 

Time: 10:00  – 11:30 AM, October 24 (Wednesday), 2018 

Abstract:  

Planetary nebulae often express beautiful, multipolar, point symmetric shapes – while their progenitors are characterized as having spherical layered structures. As stars exhaust their nuclear fuel and depart from the asymptotic giant branch, they launch powerful jets that are believed to be responsible for creating the diverse shapes of PNe. Spectacular examples of collimated jets are those traced by water masers, in objects named water fountains. In my talk, I will introduce these peculiar objects and show how VLBI can be used to better understand their nature and evolution. I will highlight the case of IRAS 18113-2503, a water fountain with an episodic and decelerating maser jet that might harbor a binary system, with a period of 10 years.