NGC 6357 (also referred to as The Lobster Nebula) is a diffuse nebula 8000 light years away in the constellation Scorpius. The nebula spans 400 light years and is an active star forming region hosting many proto stars and young stars. It is filled with cosmic gas and dust. At the core of NGC 6357 is the open star cluster Pismis 24 which contains a number of very massive stars emitting intense ultraviolet radiation. Part of the nebula is ionized by the stars of Pismis 24.
Imaged in SHO narrowband and RGB on our Planewave DR 350 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby
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