CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butterfly.
The National Science Foundation’s NoirLab released the picture Wednesday.
Snapped last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. A single light-year is 6 trillion miles.
At the heart of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf star that cast aside its outer layers of gas long ago. The discarded gas forms the butterflylike wings billowing from the aging star, whose heat causes the gas to glow.
Schoolchildren in Chile chose this astronomical target to celebrate 25 years of operation by the International Gemini Observatory.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Top notch Remote Earphones for Audiophiles - 2Grasping the Basics of Business Land Regulation
- 3The Best Games On the planet
- 4Audits of Espresso Types: Which Mix Is for You?
- 5Washington state experiences historic flooding as Skagit River hits record high level. See flooding maps, highway closures and forecasts.
- Metropolitan Greatness: The 6 Urban areas for Quality Living in 2024
- 80 km. on foot: Sharren Haskel’s three-day march in protest of haredi draft bill
- Which Instax Camera Would it be a good idea for you to Purchase?
- Toyota Reports 2.3% Sales Drop as China Weakness Deepens
- Director of Swiss hospital describes the rush to treat the injured from Alpine resort bar fire
- 7 Strange Devices to Make Your Party Stick Out!
- How did birds survive while dinosaurs went extinct?
- Favored Vehicle for Seniors: Make Your Determination
- Blue Origin's next space tourism flight will break new ground for people with disabilities
