Gemini South Images the Butterfly Nebula

noirlab_noirlab2530a November 26th, 2025

Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

To celebrate 25 years since the completion of the International Gemini Observatory, students in Chile voted for the Gemini South telescope to image the NGC 6302 — a billowing planetary nebula that resembles a cosmic butterfly. The International Gemini Observatory is partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.

Provider: NOIRLab

Image Source: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2530a/

Curator: NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Image Details

Image Type: Observation
Object Name: NGC 6302

Position Details

Position (ICRS): RA = 17h 13m 39.9s; DEC = -37° 6’ 5.7”
Orientation: North is 0.1° CW
Field of View: 5.8 x 4.0 arcminutes
Constellation: Scorpius

Color Mapping

Telescope	Spectral Band	Wavelength
Gemini-S (GMOS-S)	Optical (H-alpha)	656.0 nm
Gemini-S (GMOS-S)	Optical (H-alpha)	656.0 nm
Gemini-S (GMOS-S)	Optical (O III)	499.0 nm
Gemini-S (GMOS-S)	Optical (OIII)	499.0 nm

ID: noirlab2530a
Subject Category
Subject Name: NGC 6302
Credits: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Release Date: 2025-11-26T10:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2530a/

Type: Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes

Facility: Gemini South, Gemini South, Gemini South, Gemini South
Instrument: GMOS-S, GMOS-S, GMOS-S, GMOS-S
Color Assignment: Red, Green, Green, Cyan

Band: Optical, Optical, Optical, Optical
Bandpass: H-alpha, H-alpha, O III, OIII
Central Wavelength: 656, 656, 499, 499

Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID: None, None, None, None
Notes

Coordinate Frame: ICRS
Equinox: J2000
Reference Value: 258.4160442140438, -37.10157807888038
Reference Dimension: 2182.0, 1512.0

Reference Pixel: 1091.0, 756.0
Scale: -4.441761661782363e-05, 4.441761661782363e-05
Rotation: -0.10000000000000003
Coordinate System Projection:: TAN

Quality: Full
FITS Header
Notes

Creator (Curator): NSF's NOIRLab
URL: https://noirlab.edu
Name
Email

Telephone
Address: 950 North Cherry Ave.
City: Tucson
State/Province: AZ

Postal Code: 85719
Country: USA
Rights: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Publisher: NSF's NOIRLab
Publisher ID: noirlab
Resource ID: noirlab2530a

Resource URL: https://noirlab.edu/public/resources/image/original/noirlab2530a.tif
Related Resources

Metadata Date: 2025-10-26T15:55:09+01:00
Metadata Version: 1.1

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

There is no distance meta data in this image.