A series of spectacular images shed new light on the behaviour of NGC 6302, the Butterfly Nebula. Sitting in Scorpius, this object has long been a favourite of both amateur and professional astrophotographers, but the Hubble images presented in this month's paper, covering more than a decade of observations, are the most detailed and interesting yet.
Like all planetary nebulae, the large wings of the Butterfly Nebula are formed from gas expelled from the object's central star, typically a Sun-like star which is entering the last stages of its life. The brightness and dynamism of this particular nebula, in which changes in the gas can be seen in images taken just a year or two apart, suggest that it has a particularly hot and massive central source.
Bu hikaye BBC Sky at Night Magazine dergisinin June 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye BBC Sky at Night Magazine dergisinin June 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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The Big Bang produced a Universe filled almost exclusively with hydrogen and helium; all other elements - what astronomers call metals - were produced by stars, supernovae and everything that happens later. So if you can pick out a pristine star with no metals polluting it from among the billions in the Milky Way, then you are likely to have a star dating from our Galaxy's earliest days.
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