The Twin Jet Nebula

The Twin Jet Nebula, also known as Minkowski 2-9 (M2-9), Minkowski’s Butterfly or the Wings of a Butterfly Nebula, is a bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation Ophiuchus. The nebula lies at a distance of 2,100 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 14.7. It was named after Rudolph Minkowski, the German-American astronomer who discovered it in 1947.

The nebula is known for its peculiar form, with twin lobes of material emanating from the central progenitor star. The nebula’s appearance, with two jets discharged by the star creating the shape of the lobes, has earned it the name Twin Jet Nebula. The huge jets of gas are moving at speeds of more than 1 million km/h.

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