Refurbished Hubble Space Telescope returns new images
The Butterfly nebula, formally designated NGC 6302, is a planetary nebula roughly 3,800 light-years from the sun .
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
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The Butterfly nebula, formally designated NGC 6302, is a planetary nebula roughly 3,800 light-years from the sun. The term planetary nebula is something of a misnomer, which arises from the fact that they are often round and resemble planets in low-resolution observations. But in fact planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets—they are luminous clouds thrown off by dying stars.
The extended lobes of the Butterfly nebula are only a few thousand years old but were ejected with such high speed from their star that the nebula already spans more than two light-years.
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