A new [Oiii] \lamda5007 {\AA} Galactic Bulge Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function

Understand

The Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function (PNLF) describes the collective luminosity evolution for a given population of Planetary Nebulae (PN).

• A major paradox in current PNLF studies is in the universality of the absolute magnitude of the brightest PNe with galaxy type and age.
• The progenitor central-star mass required to produce such bright PNe should have evolved beyond the PNe phase in old, red elliptical galaxies whose stellar populations are ~10~Gyr.
• Only by dissecting this resolved population in detail can we attempt to address this conundrum.