Caldwell 69
C69
📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.
Object
- Type (NASA)
- Planetary Nebula
- Distance from Earth
- 4,000 light-years
- Apparent magnitude
- 9.5 mag
- NASA description
- A dying Sun-like star is ejecting layers of gas to create Caldwell 69, giving it the more common names of the Butterfly or Bug Nebula.
Source:NASA Hubble (Messier/Caldwell catalogs) · checked 2026-11-02 ↗
Related
Constellation
In everyday life
- Light from this object takes about 4,000 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left 4,000 years ago (official distance ÷ speed of light).
- At magnitude 9.5 it is fainter than the naked-eye limit (about 6) — you need binoculars or a telescope.
- It lies in Scorpius — find the constellation first to know where to look.