Photos from the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) view of the Butterfly Nebula, known as NGC 6302, have provided scientists with new understanding of the universe. According to the ALMA observatory, the August 2025 Webb images “offer new insights into the final stages of stellar evolution.” These insights, include inklings to how planets form, and where the building blocks of life begin. 

The Butterfly Nebula, is host to a dying sun that holds a surface temperature of an estimated 250,000 degrees Celsius. While planetary nebulae can vary in temperature, NGC 6302 is considered to be unnaturally hot. Another feature of this star cluster is a donut-shaped dust cloud that obscures the nebula’s ultraviolet light rays from the Earth’s view in the night sky. 

NGC 6302 lies in deep space, approximately 3,400 to 3,800 light-years away from Earth, in the Scorpius constellation. The European Space Agency (ESA) expands on the uniqueness of this celestial body saying “The Butterfly Nebula is a bipolar nebula, meaning that it has two lobes that spread in opposite directions, forming the ‘wings’ of the butterfly. A dark band of dusty gas poses as the butterfly’s ‘body’.”

This nebula has been photographed countless times over the years by powerful telescopes; however, none have shaped scientific discovery quite like the most recent JWST images. This is in large part due to the special infrared technology equipped on the JWST. The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), measuring wavelengths, works in tandem with both spectrograph and camera capabilities to capture the changes a stellar object (such as NGC 6302) makes. 

ESA explains JWST’s rare MIRI findings: “The location of the nebula’s central star has remained elusive until now, because this enshrouding dust renders it invisible at optical wavelengths. Previous searches for the star lacked the combination of infrared sensitivity and resolution necessary to spot its obscuring warm dust cloud.” The ESA confirmed, having infrared photos made this finding possible.  

Analysis of the images has shown that the star’s power comes from the surrounding dust cloud, which scientists have discovered is made up of crystalline silicates. Due to the large individual dust grain size, researchers are able to tell that they have been growing for a long time. 

Dr. Igor Glosman, an astronomy professor at Highline College, summarizes the importance of this revelation: “The beautiful images of the Butterfly Nebula show how a dying star seeds the universe…” 

This seed has birthed roots of important cosmic understanding. “With the building blocks for future generations of stars and planets, highlighting the cosmic perspective that death is not the end but rather part of a natural cycle which also includes a rebirth. Adding some spice to the mix is the interesting hourglass shape of the nebula, which suggests another star, with its own life journey, might be lurking inside,”  Glosman continues.

The discovery of the makeup of these dust particles, and in-depth images of the decaying star inside has led scientists to understand the beginning formation of rocky planets such as Earth. With this, their presence confirms that key pieces of life exist among the stars.

While the images brought back from telescopes like the JWST, Hubble and Spitzer are awe-inspiring, their true value lies within their scientific capability. Highline College’s, Dr. Aleya Dhanji, professor of astronomy highlights this further. “The wonderful thing about…astronomy is that it forces us to really zoom out and ask big questions about the universe…”

The impact of the JWST images and the Butterfly Nebula cannot be understated. “We wouldn’t exist without stars and it’s amazing to me how an entire universe has to exist, how billions of stars need to be born and die to eventually give rise to life,” Dhanji continues. Through each image transmitted by these telescopes small metal frames, mankind comes ever closer to understanding our origins.