ASTRONOMERS have spotted a stunning cosmic butterfly with glowing “wings” deep in space.
The mind-blowing display is actually an extremely hot white dwarf star that shed its outer layers of gas long ago.
Scientists from the International Gemini Observatory in Chile released the dazzling snap to celebrate 25 years since their massive Gemini South telescope was built.
The picture was taken last month and selected by local school children to be released to mark the special occasion.
Known officially as NGC 6302, the bipolar planetary nebula is situated between 2,500 and 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
For context, a single light year is about six trillion miles.
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Before becoming a white dwarf, the star at the centre of this photo was a colossal red giant, 1000 times wider than our Sun.
Now as a white dwarf it is emitting intense radiation heating the wing-like area seen in the photo at more than 20,000C and creating a glow effect.
“A planetary nebula is a type of emission nebula consisting of a massive star near the end of its life that is expelling material, surrounded by an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas,” explained the NOIRlab.
“Typically, these mesmerizing structures have a planet-like round shape, which is why they were named ‘planetary nebulae’ by the early astronomers who observed them through their telescopes.
“You may notice, though, that the Butterfly Nebula does not resemble a round planet, but instead a winged creature caught mid-flight.
“The formation of this unique structure is driven by a star at the nebula’s center that is casting off layers of gas and dust as it nears the end of its life.”
Over the years the Gemini South telescope has spotted a number of shocking sights out in space, including galaxies and asteroids.
In more recent times, it’s been tracking the mysterious 3I/ATLAS comet.
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