  The mean intensity of planetary nebulae with an expanding atmosphere is
modeled by considering dusty and dust-free atmospheres. The bulk matter density
is determined from the adopted velocity field through the equation of
continuity. The gas is assumed to consist of hydrogen and helium and the
gas-to-dust mass ratio is taken to be $3\times10^{-4}$. The Rayleigh phase
function is employed for atomic scattering while the full Mie theory of
scattering is incorporated for determining the dust scattering and absorption
cross-section as well as the phase function for the angular distribution of
photons after scattering. It is shown that in a dust free atmosphere, the mean
intensity increases with the increase in the expansion velocity that makes the
medium diluted. The mean intensity profile changes significantly when dust
scattering is incorporated. The increase in forward scattering of photons by
the dust particles yields into an increase in the mean intensity as compared to
that without dust. The mean intensity increases as the particle size is
increased. Thus it is shown that both the expansion of the medium and the
presence of dust play important role in determining the mean intensity of a
planetary nebulae.
