Secrets of the Butterfly Nebula uncovered by Webb

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the Butterfly Nebula, located about 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.  It’s what astronomers call a planetary nebula - the brief phase when a dying star sheds its outer layers into space. Despite the name, planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. Early astronomers thought these glowing shells looked round, like distant worlds seen through primitive telescopes.  The name stuck, even though many nebulae are anything but round. The Butterfly...