Discovery of Extensive Optical Emission Associated with the X-ray Bright, Radio Faint Galactic SNR G156.2+5.7

We present wide-field Halpha images of the Galactic supernova remnant G156.2+5.7 which reveal the presence of considerable faint Halpha line emission coincident with the remnant's X-ray emission. The outermost Halpha emission consists largely of long and thin (unresolved), smoothly curved filaments of Balmer-dominated emission presumably associated with the remnant's forward shock front. Patches of brighter Halpha emission along the western, south-central, and northeastern regions appear to be radiative shocked ISM filaments like those commonly seen in supernova remnants, with relatively strong [O I] 6300,6364 and [S II] 6716,6731 line emissions. Comparison of the observed Halpha emission with the ROSAT PSPC X-ray image of G156.2+5.7 shows that the thin Balmer-dominated filaments lie along the outermost edge of the remnant's detected X-ray emission. Brighter radiative emission features are not coincident with the remnant's brightest X-ray or radio regions. Areas of sharply weaker X-ray flux seen in the ROSAT image of G156.2+5.7 appear spatially coincident with dense interstellar clouds visible on optical and IRAS 60 and 100 micron emission images, as well as maps of increased optical extinction. This suggests significant X-ray absorption in these regions due to foreground interstellar dust, especially along the western and southern limbs. The close projected proximity and alignment of the remnant's brighter, radiative filaments with several of these interstellar clouds and dust lanes hint at a possible physically interaction between the G156.2+5.7 remnant and these interstellar clouds and may indicate a smaller distance to the remnant than previously estimated.