by APOD Robot » Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:06 am
The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble
Explanation: Stars can make beautiful patterns as they age -- sometimes similar to flowers or insects. NGC 6302, the
Butterfly Nebula, is a notable example. Though its gaseous wingspan covers over 3
light-years and its estimated surface temperature exceeds 200,000 degrees
C, the aging central star of NGC 6302, the featured
planetary nebula, has become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in
visible and
ultraviolet light but
hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust.
This sharp close-up was recorded by the
Hubble Space Telescope and is processed here to show off remarkable details of the complex
planetary nebula, highlighting in particular light emitted by
oxygen (shown as blue),
hydrogen (green), and
nitrogen (red).
NGC 6302 lies about 3,500 light-years away in the
arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (
Scorpius).
Planetary nebulas evolve from outer atmospheres of
stars like our
Sun, but usually fade in about 20,000 years.
[url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221121.html] [img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_221121.jpg[/img] [size=150]The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] Stars can make beautiful patterns as they age -- sometimes similar to flowers or insects. NGC 6302, the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly]Butterfly[/url] Nebula, is a notable example. Though its gaseous wingspan covers over 3 [url=https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/faq/26/what-is-a-light-year/]light-year[/url]s and its estimated surface temperature exceeds 200,000 degrees [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius]C[/url], the aging central star of NGC 6302, the featured [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula]planetary nebula[/url], has become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in [url=https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight]visible[/url] and [url=https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves]ultraviolet[/url] light but [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/16/1b/e4/161be4b2491d08713813d5082b43280d.jpg]hidden[/url] from direct view by a dense torus of dust. [url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CgZW04XuK6S/]This sharp close-up[/url] was recorded by the [url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/story/index.html]Hubble Space Telescope[/url] and is processed here to show off remarkable details of the complex [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190929.html]planetary nebula[/url], highlighting in particular light emitted by [url=https://periodic.lanl.gov/8.shtml]oxygen[/url] (shown as blue), [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-alpha]hydrogen[/url] (green), and [url=https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/new-insights-into-how-earth-got-its-nitrogen/]nitrogen[/url] (red). [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6302]NGC 6302[/url] lies about 3,500 light-years away in the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnid]arachnologically[/url] correct constellation of the Scorpion ([url=http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/sco/index.html]Scorpius[/url]). [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula]Planetary nebula[/url]s evolve from outer atmospheres of [url=https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve]stars[/url] like our [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190526.html]Sun[/url], but usually fade in about 20,000 years.
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