ABSTRACT
We present extensive, long-slit, high-resolution coverage of the complex planetary nebula (PN) NGC 7026. We acquired 10 spectra using the Manchester Echelle Spectrometer at San Pedro Martir Observatory in Baja California, Mexico, and each shows exquisite detail, revealing the intricate structure of this object. Incorporating these spectra into the three-dimensional visualization and kinematic program SHAPE and using Hubble Space Telescope images of NGC 7026, we have produced a detailed structural and kinematic model of this PN. NGC 7026 exhibits remarkable symmetry consisting of three lobe pairs and four sets of knots, all symmetrical about the nucleus and displaying a conical outflow. Comparing the three-dimensional structure of this nebula to recent XMM–Newton X-ray observations, we investigate the extended X-ray emission in relation to the nebular structure. We find that the X-ray emission, while confined to the closed, northern lobes of this PN, shows an abrupt termination in the middle of the southeast lobe, which our long slit data show to be open. This is where the shocked fast wind seems to be escaping the interior of the nebula and the X-ray emission rapidly cools in this region.