                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2022 November 1
     The featured image the Lobster Nebula, star field with a few bright
   blue stars surrounded by a red-glowing nebula that could be visualized
   as a lobster. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                        NGC 6357: The Lobster Nebula
    Image Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector (U.
   Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Obs./NSF's NOIRLab),
                  M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF's NOIRLab)

   Explanation: Why is the Lobster Nebula forming some of the most massive
   stars known? No one is yet sure. Cataloged as NGC 6357, the Lobster
   Nebula houses the open star cluster Pismis 24 near its center -- a home
   to unusually bright and massive stars. The overall red glow near the
   inner star forming region results from the emission of ionized hydrogen
   gas. The surrounding nebula, featured here, 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 image was taken with DOE's Dark Energy Camera on the 4-meter Blanco
   Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NGC
   6357 spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years away
   toward the constellation of the Scorpion.

                        Tomorrow's picture: sun block
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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