NGC 6302, beautiful example of bipolar planetary nebula whose structure is among the most complex ever seen in planetary nebulae. The spectrum of Butterfly Nebula shows at its center one of the hottest stars known, with surface temperature above 250,000 degrees Celsius. The luminosity and temperature of the star indicate it has ceased nuclear burning and is on its way to becoming a white dwarf, fading at a predicted rate of 1% per year. It is surrounded by a dense equatorial disc composed of gas and dust, supposed to have caused the star’s outflows to form its bipolar structure, similar to an hourglass. This bipolar structure shows features such as ionization walls, knots and sharp edges to the lobes.
This object is barely visible from Europe, being extremely low in the horizon, never rising above 11°. Therefore cannot be imaged without being affected by our atmosphere’s disturbance and a considerable amount of light pollution. This shot is the result of the integration of 2,5h in SHO taken (10×300’’ per channel) from the clear sky of Monte Romano with a RC8 and a QHY294M camera on a CEM40 mount, and post processed in dynamic narrowband combination with Pixinsight .
