Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team Explanation: The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth’s night sky are often named for
flowers or
insects. Though its wingspan covers over 3 light-years,
NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the dying central star of this particular
planetary nebula has become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. This
sharp and colorful close-up of the dying star’s nebula was recorded in 2009 by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3, installed during the final
shuttle servicing mission. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust
torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen
has been detected in the hot star’s dusty cosmic shroud.
NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the
arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (
Scorpius).