Kinematical study of the optical ejecta of GK Per

It is based on proper-motion measurements of 282 knots from ~20 images spanning 25 years. Doppler shifts are also computed for 217 knots.

The combination of proper motions and radial velocities allows a unique three-dimensional view of the ejecta to be obtained. The main results are as follows: (1) the outflow is a thick shell in which knots expand with a significant range of velocities, mostly between 600 and 1000 km/s, (2) kinematical ages indicate that knots have suffered only a modest deceleration since their ejection a century ago, (3) no evidence for anisotropy in the expansion rate is found, (4) velocity vectors are generally aligned along the radial direction, but a symmetric pattern of non-radial velocities is also observed at specific directions, and (5) the total H{alpha}+[N II] flux has been linearly decreasing at a rate of 2.6% per year in the past decade.