NGC 6302 (also known as the
Bug Nebula,
Butterfly Nebula, or
Caldwell 69) is a
bipolarplanetary nebula in the constellation
Scorpius. The structure in the nebula is among the most complex ever observed in planetary nebulae. The spectrum of NGC 6302 shows that its central
star is one of the hottest stars known, with a surface temperature in excess of 250,000 degrees Celsius, implying that the star from which it formed must have been very large.The central star, a
white dwarf, was identified in 2009, using the upgraded
Wide Field Camera 3 on board the
Hubble Space Telescope.
[7] The star has a current mass of around 0.64
solar masses. It is surrounded by a dense equatorial disc composed of gas and dust. This dense disc is postulated to have caused the star's outflows to form a bipolar structure
[8] similar to an
hourglass. This bipolar structure shows features such as ionization walls, knots and sharp edges to the lobes. (Wikipedia)
Comments