Powerful jets and radiation winds from two protostars are slamming into the nebulosity around them, sculpting the nebula.

They are surrounded by a butterfly-shaped gas formation. These stars feed on nearby gas but also eject excess material. This process creates bursts of outflows that shape the nebula’s striking ...

NASA affectionately calls it a “Space Butterfly,” but in reality it’s a pair of massive gas clouds. Its official name is Westerhout 40 (W40), and it’s a nebula. W40 and nebulas like it are ...

The new photos show us views of NGC 6302, nicknamed the Butterfly Nebula (below; you can probably guess where the name comes from); and NGC 7027, the Jewel Bug Nebula (above). NGC 6302 ...

The fact that there are two stars lurking at the heart of this butterfly-shaped nebula will be crucial, as we shall see. We ...