APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5549
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am

APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by APOD Robot » Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:06 am

Image NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula

Explanation: 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. This sharp close-up was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. The Hubble image data is reprocessed here, showing off the remarkable details of the complex planetary nebula. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star's dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by orin stepanek » Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:59 am

The butterfly nebula looks more like a fancy bow-tie (IMO)! It is beautiful though. 8-) :clap: :thumb_up:
















9
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

Guest

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by Guest » Sat Mar 02, 2019 6:13 pm

Looks more like a monkey wearing a cape and hailing a cab in NYC. Tho the number of arms and legs leave a little room for doubt. I would have liked to see the image with the torus superimposed on the it. Just for perspective.

heehaw

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by heehaw » Sat Mar 02, 2019 6:37 pm

OOOOOoooohhhhh... that is gorgeous!

User avatar
JohnD
Tea Time, Guv! Cheerio!
Posts: 1587
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 2:11 pm
Location: Lancaster, England

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by JohnD » Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:57 pm

How significant is the dust torus in the formation of this nebula?
Or, is the expansion of gas from the star directed in polar jets, rather as occur from black holes, only not so well focussed?
The other Butterfly Nebula, M2-9 has no evidence of a dust torus: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160724.html

John

florid_snow
Ensign
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 4:54 am

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by florid_snow » Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:59 pm

+100 points to whoever came up with "arachnologically correct" :lol2:

Boomer12k
:---[===] *
Posts: 2691
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by Boomer12k » Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:35 am

And an awesome image of The Butterfly Nebula it is to be sure....

:---[===] *

RW5

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by RW5 » Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:06 am

Anyone got a 4LY wide butterfly net?

User avatar
Nitpicker
Inverse Square
Posts: 2692
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:39 am
Location: S27 E153

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by Nitpicker » Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:15 am

RW5 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:06 am Anyone got a 4LY wide butterfly net?
Nah, sold mine. But better to catch it with the HST, than to catch it with a net. Won't somebody think of the butterflies?

User avatar
MarkBour
Subtle Signal
Posts: 1377
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2013 2:44 pm
Location: Illinois, USA

Re: APOD: NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula (2019 Mar 02)

Post by MarkBour » Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:13 am

This is a very beautiful image.
Mark Goldfain