Aging stars can create beautiful patterns in the sky that sometimes look like flowers or insects. A striking example is NGC 6302.
The dying central star of the nebula has become exceptionally hot, the temperature on its surface exceeds 200 thousand. °C, it shines brightly in the visible and ultraviolet ranges, but is hidden from the observer by a dense torus of dust.
The emission of oxygen is shown in blue, hydrogen in green, and nitrogen in red. NGC 6302 is located at a distance of 3,500 st. years in the constellation of Scorpio. Planetary nebulae are formed from the outer atmospheres of stars similar to our Sun, and usually exist no more than 20 thousand years.
