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NGC 6302
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.17h 13m 43.29s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-37° 6' 9.99"
- 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.3,800 light-years (1,200 parsecs)
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 Hubble images were created from data from proposal 11504: K. Noll and H. Bond (STScI) and B. Balick (University of Washington). Acknowledgments for NGC 6302 Observers: K. Noll and H. Bond (STScI) and B. Balick (University of Washington) Data Analysis: H. Bushouse, J. Anderson, and M. Mutchler (STScI) Image Composition: Z. Levay and L. Frattare (STScI) Text: L. Frattare, D. Weaver, and R. Villard (STScI) Illustrations: Z. Levay (STScI) Science Consultants: M. Livio and H. Bond (STScI) - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/UVIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.July 27, 2009, Exposure Time: 6.5 hours
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F373N ([O II]), F469N (He II), F502N ([O III]), F656N (H-alpha), F658N ([N II]), and F673N ([S II])
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.NGC 6302, Butterfly Nebula, Bug Nebula
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Planetary Nebula
- Release DateSeptember 9, 2009
- Science ReleaseHubble Opens New Eyes on the Universe
- Credits
The image is a composite of separate exposures made by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Six filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: White: F673N ([S II]) Orange: F658N ([N II]) Brown: F656N (H-alpha) Cyan: F502N ([O III]) Blue: F469N (He II) Purple: F373N ([O II])
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Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
