Gemini Observations of Planetary Nebula Candidates toward the Galactic Center

We present high-resolution near infrared (IR) spectra of two candidate planetary nebulae (PNe) that were serendipitously found toward the Galactic center (GC). Our spectra obtained using GNIRS on Gemini North reveal strong Br ♑ and He I recombination lines. In one of the targets, we confidently detect Pa ♌ emission. Based on Br ♑ and Pa ♌ lines, we estimate a foreground reddening to be Av=27 mag, which confidently puts this object at the GC distance. Along with the presence of highly excited emission lines such as [S IV], [Ne III], [Ne V], and [O IV] detected in the mid-IR spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the extended emission in the Pa ♋ narrow-band image from the Hubble Space Telescope, this makes it the first spectroscopically confirmed PN in the GC.