File:NGC_6357.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Right ascension
- 17 24
- Declination
- −34 ° 20 ′
- Distance
- ~5900±450 ly (1800±140 pc )
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Designations
- War and Peace Nebula, Lobster Nebula Sharpless 11, RCW 131, Gum 66, Madokami
via Wikipedia infobox
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
NGC 6357 is a diffuse nebula near NGC 6334 in the constellation Scorpius. The nebula contains many proto-stars shielded by dark discs of gas, and young stars wrapped in expanding "cocoons" or expanding gases surrounding these small stars. It is also known as the Lobster Nebula. This nebula was given the name War and Peace Nebula by the Midcourse Space Experiment scientists because of its appearance, which, in infrared images the bright, western part resembles a dove, while the eastern part looks like a skull. A petition by anime fans to rename it as the Madokami nebula, due to resemblance with a character, was unsuccessful.
It is located about 5,500 light years away from Earth. NGC 6357 is connected by a filamentary structure to NGC 6334, and the two may form a single complex.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Q840800” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.