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Bug Nebula (NGC 6302)
planetary nebula in Scorpius
The Bug Nebula, or Butterfly Nebula, is a bipolar planetary nebula in Scorpius whose twin wings are among the most complex shapes known. The central star is one of the hottest known and is hidden in a dense dusty ring. It is small and low for northern observers.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 6302
- Also known as
- C 69, Caldwell 69, Butterfly Nebula
- Type
- planetary nebula
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Size
- 3′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.6
- Distance
- about 3,400 to 4,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jun
- Typical prime months
- Mar to Aug
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Filter
- OIII or dual-band / UHC filter
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How to image Bug Nebula
- It is only about 3 arcminutes across, so use 1,500 mm or more.
- It only gets about 18 degrees up from 35 degrees north, so wait for steady air and shoot near the meridian.
- NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 are in the same area, but need a wider field.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 6302 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 4% |
| 2,000 mm | about 7% |
| 3,000 mm | about 11% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 6302 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | below horizon | Never rises |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 8° | Stays low |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 18° | Stays low |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 28° | Stays low |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 88° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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