Context on astronomical distance is provided (one light-year equals roughly six trillion miles), alongside a celebration of Gemini Observatory’s 25-year milestone.

At the center sits a white dwarf that has shed its outer layers, with the expelled gas forming the glowing wings that give the nebula its characteristic shape.

A new image from the Gemini South telescope in Chile reveals the Butterfly Nebula, a grand, butterfly-shaped bipolar nebula located roughly 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in the Scorpius constellation.

The image was released by NSF NOIRLab on a recent Wednesday and was captured last month.

The article includes a brief author note on Keith Cooper, a UK science journalist and editor with a background in physics and astrophysics.

Background notes explain that astronomer Fred Gillett conceived the twin-telescope system to enable continuous hemispheric sky monitoring, with Gemini North later named in his honor after his death.

First light for Gemini North occurred in June 1999 and Gemini South in November 2000; the telescopes use adaptive optics and near-infrared wide-field capabilities to complement each other’s sky coverage.

Gemini South stands as an 8.1-meter telescope atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, part of the International Gemini Observatory, operated with Gemini North in Hawaii and funded by NSF NOIRLab alongside international partners from Brazil, Canada, Chile and the UK.

Chilean schoolchildren selected this Butterfly Nebula image to commemorate 25 years of operation by the International Gemini Observatory, highlighting educational outreach.

The 25th-anniversary image stems from the Gemini First Light Anniversary Image Contest under NOIRLab’s Legacy Imaging Program, emphasizing student involvement.

The anniversary initiative underscores an educational outreach component as Chilean students chose the entry for the milestone image.

NGC 6302 formed when a Sun-like star expanded into a red giant, ejecting outer layers about two millennia ago to create a dense equatorial ring and perpendicular wing-like lobes.

The article notes AP content sourcing and presents a science feature centered on astronomical discovery and educational engagement.