The Butterfly Nebula is one of the main attractions of the constellation Scorpio. Recently, the Gemini South telescope in Chile took a new amazing picture.
Butterfly Nebula
A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new photo of a majestic and delicate cosmic butterfly. The National Science Foundation’s NoirLab published the photo on Wednesday.
Captured last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is located between 2,500 and 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpio. One light-year is equal to 6 trillion miles.
Pattern of exhaust gas
At the center of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf that long ago shed its outer layers of gas. The ejected gas forms wings that resemble the wings of a butterfly fluttering away from the aging star, whose heat causes the gas to glow.
Schoolchildren in Chile chose this astronomical target to mark the 25th anniversary of the Gemini South International Observatory.
According to phys.org
