By MC Science Desk | March 21, 2025

How the Beautiful Butterfly Nebula Gets Its Mesmerising Wings?

A stunning cosmic hourglass has formed from a double-star system’s birth. The James Webb Space Telescope captured this breathtaking sight in vivid detail.

A Cosmic Hourglass

(Image: NASA)

Called Lynds 483, this nebula is 650 light-years away. It offers astronomers a chance to study how young stars shape their surroundings.

Lynds 483’s Location

(Image: NASA)

Stars form from collapsing gas clouds. Some material is pulled in, while powerful outflows and jets push other matter away, creating stunning nebulae.

Star Formation Process

(Image: Canva)

LBN 483 has two young stars hidden inside a dense, dusty cloud. They are surrounded by a butterfly-shaped gas formation.

Hidden Twin Stars

(Image: NASA)

These stars feed on nearby gas but also eject excess material. This process creates bursts of outflows that shape the nebula’s striking wings.

Gas Outflows Shape

(Image: NASA)

Magnetic fields guide these outflows, sculpting intricate patterns. The James Webb telescope reveals bright shock fronts where gas crashes into surrounding material.

Magnetic Field Influence

(Image: Canva)

Purple pillars within the nebula are dense gas clumps. These remain despite powerful winds, much like rock formations withstand erosion on Earth.

Mysterious Purple Pillars

(Image: AI)

Radio waves from the cold dust reveal a twisted magnetic field. This twist may be linked to the stars’ movements over millions of years.

Twisting Magnetic Field

(Image: AI)

Unlike crowded stellar nurseries like Orion, LBN 483 is isolated. Studying it helps astronomers understand how stars form under unique conditions.

A Unique Nebula

(Image: AI)

Just as we study young stars, alien astronomers may have watched our Sun’s birth. In billions of years, future observers may watch our Sun’s final days.

Watching the Cosmos

(Image: NASA)

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