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NGC 6357 War & Peace Nebula

NGC 6357 is a large, colorful nebula located in the constellation Scorpius. The nebula is often referred to as the "Lobster Nebula" due to its resemblance to a crustacean. It is an active star-forming region, containing several massive young stars that emit intense ultraviolet radiation, which in turn ionizes the surrounding gas and creates the beautiful colors seen in the nebula. The red and pink hues come from hydrogen gas, while the blue and green colors come from ionized oxygen and sulfur. NGC 6357 is an impressive sight in the night sky and offers astronomers a unique opportunity to study the birth and evolution of stars.

NGC 6357 is a massive emission nebula that lies in the constellation of Scorpius. It holds a complex tapestry of gas, dark dust, stars still forming, and newly born stars. The intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity.

The small open star cluster Pismis 24 lies in the core of NGC 6357 in Scorpius, about 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Some of the stars in this cluster are extremely massive and emit intense ultraviolet radiation.

The brightest object in the picture is designated Pismis 24-1. It was once thought to weigh as much as 200 to 300 solar masses. This would not only have made it by far the most massive known star in the galaxy, but would have put it considerably above the currently believed upper mass limit of about 150 solar masses for individual stars.

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Total Imaging Time: 11.8 hours

Ha: 75x240s
OIII: 48x240s

SII: 54x240s

Camera: QHY 163M

Filter: Antlia 3.5nm Narrowband filters

Lens/Scope: William Optics Zenithstar 61

Mount: Explore Scientific iEXOS-100

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Acquired in APT, Stacked and calibrated in DeepSkyStacker, Post processed in Pixinsight and Photoshop

 

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