Twin Jet Nebula: The Cosmic Butterfly | Space Wallpaper

Wallpapers
By
published
twin jet nebula, butterfly nebula
Over 4200 light-years away, this cosmic butterfly takes an odd two-lobed shape. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt)

A nebula by any other name — the Twin Jet Nebula, a fabulous cosmic butterfly with two lobes of jets, shooting gases at speeds more than a million kilometers per hour, was discovered by Rudolph Minkowski in 1947. Experts believe the unique shape may be created by a binary star system at its core, with both stars are in the throws of death. [Learn more about the Twin Jet Nebula.]

Wallpapers

Standard
800x600
1024x768
1280x1024
1600x1200
Wide
1280x800
1440x900
1680x1050
1920x1200

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.