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Planetary nebula

The Butterfly Nebula

Also NGC 6302 · Caldwell 69 · Bug Nebula

Open in Ouranos

A planetary nebula with two vast wings of gas streaming out from a dusty waist.

Measured

Distance
about 3,816 light-years (published estimates 2,433–3,816)
Constellation
Scorpius
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 13m 44s, Dec −37.10°

How far, from the Sun

About 3,820 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light3,820 years
  • Voyager 1's speed67.8 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h41.2 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Its central star, at about 220,000 kelvin, is one of the hottest known central stars of a planetary nebula in our galaxy.
  • A thick ring of dust hides the central star from direct view.

Where this comes from

  • Expansion parallax 1.17 ± 0.14 kpc (Meaburn et al. 2008); statistical distance 0.746 kpc (Stanghellini & Haywood 2010, ApJ 714, 1096)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.