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NGC 6302, also known as the Butterfly Nebula or Bug Nebula, is a complex planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius, formed by a dying star ejecting gas and dust. Its distinctive butterfly shape is created by a dense, doughnut-shaped torus of dust that channels the star's outflow into bipolar "wings". The central star is one of the hottest known, with a surface temperature over 250,000°C, and is hidden by the torus, while recent observations from Webb and ALMA have revealed intricate details of its hot and cold components. 

Key characteristics

Type: Bipolar planetary nebula 

Location: Constellation Scorpius, about 3,400 light-years away 

Appearance: Resembles a butterfly or bug with intricate, glowing "wings" of gas 

Central Star: A very hot white dwarf, hidden by a central dust torus 

Structure: The torus constricts the star's outflow, creating the classic hourglass shape, with fast stellar winds sculpting the wings. 

Composition: Shows rich chemistry, including complex carbon-bas

NGC 4372 is a large, faint globular star cluster in the southern constellation Musca, located about 19,000 light-years away and near the Dark Doodad Nebula. Discovered by James Dunlop in 1826, it's known as Caldwell 108 and appears as a large, diffuse patch of stars, partially obscured by dust lanes, making it a challenging but rewarding target for southern hemisphere observers with binoculars or telescopes. 

Key characteristics

Type: Globular cluster (a dense, spherical collection of stars). 

Location: Constellation Musca, near the Dark Doodad Nebula. 

Distance: Approximately 19,000 light-years from Earth. 

Appearance: A large, faint, and diffuse object, about 10 arcminutes in diameter, with a unique, elongated shape due to foreground dust. 

Observability: Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, highest in the sky during the autumn months. 

Classification: Classified as a Shapley-Sawyer class XII cluster, indicating it's very loose and sparse. 

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant, a cloud of gas and dust from a massive star that exploded in 1054 AD, visible in the constellation Taurus. It's about 6,500 light-years away and contains a rapidly spinning neutron star (pulsar) at its core, which powers the nebula's glow. Its name comes from a drawing by Lord Rosse that resembled a crab, and it's a well-studied object, visible with binoculars or a small telescope, especially in January. Key facts

Origin: Remnant of a supernova explosion observed in 1054 AD, recorded by Chinese astronomers. 

Location: Constellation Taurus, about 6,500 light-years from Earth. 

Composition: An expanding cloud of gas and dust, with a central neutron star. 

Central object: A pulsar, a neutron star that spins rapidly and emits beams of radiation. 

Appearance: A glowing, filamentary structure that looks like a crab's claw, hence the name. 

Visibility: Can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope, best observed in the Northern Hemisphere in January.