The "Butterfly Nebula" is harboring a spectacular star death that is ejecting an envelope of gases and a hail of ultraviolet radiation, as shown in a video taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The nebula, also called NGC 6302, formed of dust and stars, erupted like a huge butterfly. Viewers may view this spectacular clip on its Instagram feed.
About NGC 6302, Butterfly Nebula
The Butterfly Nebula was formed by a dying star still in the center of the mass and had two wings, giving it its name.
The photographs people can see from the telescope appear rather delicate-almost cute-but in reality, it is huge.
According to Hubblesite, Hubble recently underwent retraining to monitor NGC 6302, often known as the "Butterfly Nebula," throughout a wider spectrum of light, from near ultraviolet to near-infrared.
As a result, scientists are now better able to comprehend how the technicolor "wings" of gas function.
The measurements reveal a novel pattern of singly ionized iron near-infrared emission that follows an S shape from the bottom left to the upper right.
The most recent gas ejections from the core star system, which are traveling far faster than the previously ejected material, are presumably the source of this iron emission.
Below are the details of NGC 6302 Butterfly Nebula.
Butterfly Nebula's Speed
According to Classic FM, the nebula's wingspan spans more than three light-years from tip to tip, with a temperature of around 20,000 degrees Celsius, and it moves across space at a speed of more than 600,000 miles per hour.
Nebula's Dying Star is Five Times the Mass of the Sun
Approximately five times as large as the Sun originally was, this dying star is the source of the stunning explosion. It has released the gases that comprised its envelope and is now ejecting an ultraviolet radiation stream that makes its debris glow.
According to NASA, this is an example of a planetary nebula because when observed through a small telescope, they seem round and identical to planets.
The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects. Though its wingspan covers over 3 light-years, NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the dying central star of this particular planetary nebula has become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust.
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Diameter 1,000x Bigger Than Sun
The WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) picture reveals a complicated history of ejections from the star.
A gigantic red-giant star with a diameter nearly 1,000 times bigger than the Sun, the star first formed as a red-giant star. It later lost its substantial outer coverings.
NGC 6302 Found in Scorpius
Our Milky Way galaxy's NGC 6302 is found in the constellation of Scorpius, around 3,800 light-years distant. The flaming gas in the image represents the star's outer layers, which were ejected over a time of around 2,200 years.
According to NASA, this butterfly spans a distance of more than two light years, or nearly half the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri.
Hottest Nebula in Galaxy
NASA said the star in this nebula is among the hottest in our galaxy, with a surface temperature of almost 400,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to spectroscopic measurements made with ground-based observatories, this gas is very hot for a planetary nebula, reaching roughly 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
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