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NGC 6302: The “Butterfly Nebula”
Hubble was recently retrained on NGC 6302, known as the "Butterfly Nebula," to observe it across a more complete spectrum of light, from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared, helping researchers better understand the mechanics at work in its technicolor "wings" of gas. The observations highlight a new pattern of near-infrared emission from singly ionized iron, which traces an S shape from lower left to upper right. This iron emission likely traces the central star system’s most recent ejections of gas, which are moving at much faster speeds than the previously expelled mass.
The star or stars at its center are responsible for the nebula's appearance. In their death throes, they have cast off layers of gas periodically over the past couple thousand years. The "wings" of NGC 6302 are regions of gas heated to more than 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit that are tearing across space at more than 600,000 miles an hour.
NGC 6302 lies between 2,500 and 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.17:13:44.21
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-37:06:15.94
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Scorpius
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.3,400 light-years
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.Image is 2.25 arcmin across (about 2 light-years)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The HST observations include those from programs 15953 (J. Kastner) - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.WFC3/UVIS and IR
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.30 observations between Nov 2019 and Apr 2020
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F343N, F487N, F502N, F656N, F658N, F673N, F110W, F128N, F130N, F160W, F164N
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.NGC 6302
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Planetary Nebula
- Release DateJune 18, 2020
- Science ReleaseHubble Provides Holistic View of Stars Gone Haywire
These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS and WFC3/IR instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Purple: F502N Luminosity: F656N Green: F658N Cyan: F110W Orange: F164N
Related Images & Videos
Two Planetary Nebulas: NGC 6302 and NGC 7027
Hubble was recently retrained on NGC 6302, known as the "Butterfly Nebula," to observe it across a more complete spectrum of light, from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared, helping researchers better understand the mechanics at work in its technicolor "wings" of gas. The...
Compass Image for NGC 6302
Image of planetary nebula NGC 6302, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative...
Compass Image for NGC 7027
Image of planetary nebula NGC 7027, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative...
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
