Rare ‘space butterfly’ captured by ESO telescope leaves netizens awestruck | Trending - Hindustan Times
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Rare ‘space butterfly’ captured by ESO telescope leaves netizens awestruck

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | BySrimoyee Chowdhury
Aug 01, 2020 04:00 PM IST

The image shows a planetary nebula, termed as NGC 2899, which resembles the shape of a butterfly.

Every now and then, pictures and clips from outer space leave us awestruck. Recently, one such picture has piqued the attention of netizens with its beauty and chances are the photo will leave you awe-struck.

The nebula located between 3000 and 6500 light-years away in the Southern constellation of Vela (The Sails), has two central stars.(Twitter@ESO)
The nebula located between 3000 and 6500 light-years away in the Southern constellation of Vela (The Sails), has two central stars.(Twitter@ESO)

The image has been shared on Twitter by the official page of The European Southern Observatory (ESO). It shows a planetary nebula, termed as NGC 2899, which resembles the shape of a butterfly. A rare capture, the colours and intricate design of this butterfly-shaped bubble of gas are wowing netizens.

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“Resembling a butterfly with its symmetrical structure, beautiful colours, and intricate patterns, this striking bubble of gas, NGC 2899, appears to float and flutter across the sky in this new picture from our VLT,” reads the caption.

Check out the photo:

Posted on July 30, the phenomenon has garnered over 150 likes.

“The nebula located between 3000 and 6500 light-years away in the Southern constellation of Vela (The Sails), has two central stars, which are believed to give it its nearly symmetric appearance,” says a report from the official ESO website commemorating the capture from an ESO telescope.

The object hasn’t been captured in such detail before. “Astronomers were able to capture this highly detailed image of NGC 2899 using the FORS instrument installed on UT1 (Antu), one of the four 8.2-metre telescopes that make up ESO’s VLT in Chile,” adds the report.

What do you think of this ‘space butterfly’?

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