Gemini Observatory unveils stunning Butterfly Nebula in 25th-anniversary image

A striking new image of the Butterfly Nebula has been released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gemini Observatory. The nebula, known as NGC 6302, was captured by the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. Its unusual butterfly shape comes from the violent expulsion of gas by a dying star. The Butterfly Nebula lies between 2,500 and 3,800 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. Its central star is a white dwarf with a mass roughly two-thirds that of the Sun. This star has a surface temperature exceeding 250,000 degrees Celsius.

The nebula’s gas streams are heated to over 20,000 degrees Celsius by the white dwarf’s intense radiation. The red regions in the image show energised hydrogen. The butterfly shape forms as high-speed gas streams collide with slower material expelled earlier.

The nebula contains elements like nitrogen, sulfur, and iron. These will eventually become the building blocks for new stars and planets. The image marks a quarter of a century since the Gemini Observatory began operations. It highlights the nebula’s dramatic structure and the extreme conditions created by its dying star. The observation provides new insights into the life cycle of stars and the elements they distribute into space.