NASA reveals new findings about the Butterfly Nebula using the James Webb Telescope

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, in collaboration with ESA and CSA, has obtained previously unseen images of the center of the Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302).

This cosmic object is located about 3,400 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius and is an example of a bipolar planetary nebula , characterized by two opposing lobes that give it its “wing-like” appearance.

According to 'elEconomista.es', the new images show the dense ring of dust surrounding the central star and the jets extending outwards.

These structures offer a more complete picture of the dynamics of the nebula, whose formation occurs when stars between 0.8 and 8 times the mass of the Sun expel much of their material at the end of their lives.

The planetary nebula phase is brief in astronomical terms, lasting about 20,000 years.

Webb used its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), capable of combining spectroscopy and imaging at multiple wavelengths simultaneously.

This observation mode made it possible to track how the appearance of the nebula changes depending on the radiation it emits.

In addition, the data were complemented by observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) , which enabled a more in-depth analysis of the structures present.

Scientists have managed to identify the exact location of the central star, which until now was hidden by a cloud of dust that surrounds it and makes it invisible in optical wavelengths.

This star reaches a temperature of 220,000 Kelvin, making it one of the hottest known planetary nebulae in the Milky Way.

The ring that acts as the butterfly's "body" is composed of crystalline silicates, including quartz, as well as dust grains of relatively large sizes compared to those typical in the interstellar medium.

The researchers emphasize that these grains would have grown over long periods of time , indicating sustained dust formation processes in the nucleus of the nebula.

The team detected nearly 200 spectral lines that allow them to identify the distribution of atoms and molecules in the nebula. The innermost layers show ions that require more energy to form , while the outer regions contain those that require less energy.

In particular, iron and nickel appear outlining a pair of jets emerging in opposite directions from the central star.

Outside the central ring, the emission from the various elements takes on a multi-layered arrangement, reflecting the complex interaction between the star's radiation and the surrounding gas.

*This content was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on publicly available information released to media outlets. It was also reviewed by a journalist and an editor.

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