Astronomy Picture of the Day

Few butterflies have a wingspan this big. The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the central star of this particular planetary nebula is exceptionally hot though -The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble  Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team Explanation: Few butterflies have a wingspan this big. The bright clusters and ... Full Story