Astronomers Solve 100-Year Mystery of the Butterfly Nebula

Humanity has been looking at the sky for centuries and wondering what is beyond the stars. Astronomers are constantly working to explore space without stopping. However, there is one celestial object that has puzzled even astronomers for almost 100 years, the Butterfly Nebula.

However, after years of research, astronomers have finally solved the mystery of the Butterfly Nebula.

One day our Sun will turn into the Butterfly Nebula.

Named for its butterfly resemblance, this cosmic wonder celestial body, whose real name is NGC 6302, has been confusing astronomers who have been observing it for nearly 100 years. NGC 6302, which has a very different structure compared to a normal Nebula, is one of the celestial bodies that has been researched for many years. While astronomers and researchers were investigating how this celestial body formed, some details that emerged recently shed light on the 100-year-old mystery of the Butterfly Nebula.

After thousands of photographs and scans taken since 2009, experts examining the nebula revealed that NGC 6302 is not entirely composed of gas and dust. The explosive force of a white dwarf star that exploded in the center of the nebula revealed that some fragments from the explosion were drifting through space at an estimated speed of 800 km/h, while some fragments were emitted into space at only 80 km/h. After the fragments of the shattered celestial body collide and fly around in space, this semi-asymmetrical shape you see emerges.

In other words, the shape of this enormous-looking celestial body is entirely related to the dwarf star’s explosion pattern and intensity. In addition, experts have revealed that the volume and mass of the exploding dwarf star is almost the same as the Sun, according to calculations.

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So, one day, when our Sun’s energy runs out and explodes, it too can turn into a Butterfly Nebula.