Low resolution spectroscopy of hot post-AGB candidates^*

¹ National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
² Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangla, Bangalore-560034, India
³ Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007, India
⁴ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, U.S.A.

Send offprint request to: J.S. Drilling

Received: 14 February 2000
Accepted: 23 May 2000

Abstract

Spectral types are determined from low resolution optical spectra of 40 IRAS sources with far-infrared colours similar to planetary nebulae. The presence of circumstellar dust, high galactic latitude, and early supergiant or giant spectral type, sometimes with emission in the Balmer lines, indicate that some of these stars are low mass stars in the post-AGB stage of evolution.