Twin Jet Nebula: The Cosmic Butterfly Wallpaper

Over 4200 light-years away, this cosmic butterfly takes an odd two-lobed shape. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt)

A nebula by any other name — the Twin Jet Nebula, a fabulous cosmic butterfly with two lobes of jets, shooting gases at speeds more than a million kilometers per hour, was discovered by Rudolph Minkowski in 1947. Experts believe the unique shape may be created by a binary star system at its core, with both stars are in the throws of death. [Learn more about the Twin Jet Nebula.]

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