Near-IR photometry of CSPNe with VVVX

However, near-infrared (near-IR) observations offer a more effective alternative, as extinction is substantially reduced at these wavelengths. By mitigating the effects of interstellar extinction through near-IR observations of the Galactic disk and bulge, we seek to improve the identification and characterization of CSPNe in these regions, enabling a deeper understanding of their properties and evolutionary status.

We use the near-IR photometry of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey and its extension VVVX to define the near-IR photometry of a large sample of CSPNe recently identified with Gaia EDR3 data. We explore the optical and near-IR properties of all CSPNe in our sample, and search for eclipsing binary candidates among them by employing relevant catalogs. We present a homogeneous catalog of 1274 CSPNe, including their Z, Y, H, J, and K near-IR magnitudes and their errors, and our findings concerning the photometric properties of our sample.