Assembled from SHO data in Hubble Palette

Minkowskli 2-9 (M2-9) is a planetary nebula that was discovered by Rudolph Minkowski in 1947. It is located about 2,100 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. This bipolar nebula takes the peculiar form of twin lobes of material that emanate from a central star. Astronomers have dubbed this object as the Twin Jet Nebula because of the polar jets believed to cause the shape of the lobes. Its form also resembles the wings of a butterfly. The nebula is inflating rapidly and can be seen "moving" in comparative images over the last 20 years.

Assembled October 24, 2010