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Bug nebula

NGC 6302

Planetary Nebula Fair (36/100)
NGC 6302 PlanetaryNebula Sco Visible Level 5 Expert level - Benefits from OIII filter
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Properties

Magnitude 13.0
Angular Size 0.7′
pB, E pf, PN

Position & Identifiers

RA 17h 13m 42.0s
Dec -37° 06' 00.0"
Constellation Sco
Catalog NGC 6302

Visibility

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Eyepiece View

200x TFOV: 0.2° Lim. mag: 14.2
N E

Bug nebula · 0.7′ · N up, E left

Filter Response Guide

Central Star

Surface Brightness & Observing Difficulty

Survey Image

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About Bug nebula

Description

The Bug Nebula (NGC 6302) is a spectacular bipolar planetary nebula in Scorpius, about 3,400 light-years away. It has one of the hottest central stars known (over 200,000 K) and displays dramatic butterfly-shaped lobes of ejected gas spanning about 3 arcminutes.

Observing Tips

Visible as a bright, slightly elongated glow in a 4-inch telescope. Larger scopes reveal the bipolar structure. An OIII filter enhances the view. Located in a rich Milky Way field in Scorpius, best in summer evenings from locations with a good southern horizon.

History

Discovered by James Dunlop on June 12, 1826 from Australia. The central star was long hidden by a dense equatorial dust torus and was only imaged directly by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009.

Fun Facts

The Bug Nebula's central star, at over 200,000 K, is one of the hottest objects in the galaxy. The lobes contain gas moving at over 600 km/s. The equatorial dust disk that pinches the nebula into its butterfly shape contains crystalline silicates similar to minerals found in Earth's crust.