HOW BIG
DiscoverNebulae

Nebulae

Butterfly Nebula · NGC 6302: size, dimension and comparison

The adopted reference is about 3 light-years.

representative span ≈ 3 ly

A light-year is a distance: how far light travels in one year. It is used for distances between stars.

Two lobes of gas expelled by a star at the end of its life.

Explore at this scale
Butterfly Nebula · NGC 6302, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.
How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentary references.

What does this number measure?

This NASA description gives a span of more than 3 light-years. The rounded reference of 3 ly represents the visible lobes. Other views and descriptions give an extent greater than 2 ly; the edges have no single boundary.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with Helix Nebula in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Rounded documentary extent. Boundaries are diffuse and depend on the observations and convention used; this is not a distance from Earth.

An original interpreted scientific illustration, not a photograph. The dimension compares the representative span of NGC 6302's two lobes. The central dusty torus obscures the star; the colours suggest a visualisation of different emissions, not a naked-eye view. The filamentary details and diffuse boundaries are interpreted.

Illustration sources

How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentary references.

Source coverage: Interpreted reconstruction; brightness, colours and textures are not an observation. Only the designated dimension uses the catalogue's representative value.

How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentary references.

Source coverage: Interpreted reconstruction; brightness, colours and textures are not an observation. Only the designated dimension uses the catalogue's representative value.

How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentary references.

Source coverage: Interpreted reconstruction; brightness, colours and textures are not an observation. Only the designated dimension uses the catalogue's representative value.