The Butterfly Nebula

Butterfly Nebula PrintNGC 6302 The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the central star of this particular planetary nebula is exceptionally hot though -- shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. This is a dramatically detailed close-up of the dying star's nebula recorded by the newly upgraded Hubble Space Telescope. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is in the upper right corner of this view, nearly edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has recently been detected in this hot star's dusty cosmic shroud. NGC6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation Scorpius. Publisher's Note:This image is a portrait orientation. Please specify at checkout if the landscape orientation is desired.This is also one of our most popular image on our site.