NGC6357 · War and Peace Nebula

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Credit CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s… · CC BY 4.0

Chinese name	战争与和平星云
Type	Emission nebula
Constellation	Sco
RA	17h25m
Dec	−34°
Apparent magnitude	6.4ᵐ
Hemisphere	Southern
Best season	Summer
Difficulty	Moderate
Focal length	中长焦 800–1200mm

About

The War and Peace Nebula (also the Lobster Nebula) lies about 5,500–8,000 light-years away in Scorpius, a region of massive star birth often framed with the neighboring Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334). Its 「War and Peace」 name comes from Midcourse Space Experiment infrared images, in which the western part resembles a dove and the eastern part a skull, while in visible light its cloud outline earned the 「Lobster」 nickname. At its center sits the open cluster Pismis 24, home to some of the hottest, most massive stars known in the Milky Way, whose fierce radiation carves intricate dust pillars and cavities. Richly red and structured, it is a rewarding target for southern summer SHO narrowband imaging.