NGC 6302 is a
bipolarplanetary nebula in the constellation
Scorpius. Its central star, a
white dwarf that was only recently discovered, is one of the hottest stars in the galaxy, with a surface temperature in excess of 200,000
K, implying that the star from which it formed must have been very large. The central star had escaped detection because of a combination of its high temperature, a dense gaseous and
dustyequatorial ring that surrounds it, and the bright background from the star itself. It was not until the
Wide Field Camera 3 on the
Hubble Space Telescope came into operation that astronomers were able to observe it.Photo:
NASA,
ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
NGC 6302 is a
bipolarplanetary nebula in the constellation
Scorpius. Its central star, a
white dwarf that was only recently discovered, is one of the hottest stars in the galaxy, with a surface temperature in excess of 200,000
K, implying that the star from which it formed must have been very large. The central star had escaped detection because of a combination of its high temperature, a dense gaseous and
dustyequatorial ring that surrounds it, and the bright background from the star itself. It was not until the
Wide Field Camera 3 on the
Hubble Space Telescope came into operation that astronomers were able to observe it.Photo:
NASA,
ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team