The Butterfly Nebula - NGC 6302, Satwant Kumar

The Butterfly Nebula - NGC 6302

The Butterfly Nebula - NGC 6302, Satwant Kumar

The Butterfly Nebula - NGC 6302

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Description

NGC 6302 covers three light-years, and the dying central star has an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C. It shines brightly in ultraviolet light but is hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. NGC 6302 is about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpio, where molecules of hydrogen have been detected in its dusty cosmic shroud. The Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, which shot the image in 2009, was installed during the final shuttle servicing mission.

Data source: Hubble Legacy Archives

Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble

Processing: Satwant Kumar

Dataset files:

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f502n

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f469n

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f673n

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f373n

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f658n

hst_wfc3_11504-ngc6302_f656n

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Histogram

The Butterfly Nebula - NGC 6302, Satwant Kumar