February 8, 2017
Another birthday means another year in which the universe got to experience itself through your particular combination of wonder and will.
The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble
Birthday · February 8, 2017
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
Date & occasion only
Change the year
APOD published February 8, 2017. Credit: Jes�s M.Vargas & Maritxu Poyal. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
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 close-up of the dying star's nebula was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope and is presented here in reprocessed colors. 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). Follow APOD on: Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, or Twitter
Image credit: Jes�s M.Vargas & Maritxu Poyal