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Gemini South Captures Breathtaking Image of the 'Butterfly Nebula'

The Gemini South telescope in Chile released a new image of the Butterfly Nebula, a bipolar planetary nebula in Scorpius about 2,500–3,800 light-years away. A central white dwarf cast off its outer layers long ago, and the glowing expelled gas forms the nebula's wing-like lobes. Schoolchildren in Chile selected this target to celebrate 25 years of the International Gemini Observatory.

04:10 AM, 11/27/2025Science
Gemini South Captures Breathtaking Image of the 'Butterfly Nebula'

A telescope in Chile has produced a striking new image of a graceful cosmic formation nicknamed the "Butterfly Nebula." The photograph, released by the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, was taken last month by the Gemini South telescope.

The Butterfly Nebula is a bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation Scorpius, about 2,500 to 3,800 light-years from Earth. One light-year is roughly 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers), so this object lies many trillions of miles away.

At its center is a white dwarf — the hot, dense remnant of a Sun-like star that long ago shed its outer layers. Those expelled gases expand outward and glow as they are heated by the remnant, creating the wing-like lobes that give the nebula its butterfly appearance.

Chosen by schoolchildren

The target for this image was selected by schoolchildren in Chile to mark 25 years of operations by the International Gemini Observatory. The selection highlights how astronomy outreach can connect communities to cutting-edge observatories and inspire the next generation of scientists.

This vivid portrait from Gemini South illuminates the late stages of stellar evolution and showcases the observatory’s ability to capture fine structure in distant nebulae.

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