NGC 6357 Lobster Nebula

Capture

Seestar s50 368 stacks

Date

6 June 2026

Location

Camden, NSW

Original

1080 × 1920 px

NGC 6357 Lobster Nebula is a diffuse nebula in the constellation Scorpius some 8,000 light years from Earth. The small open star cluster Pismis 24 lies in the core of the large emission nebula. NGC 6357 is one of the most prominent sites of massive-star formation in our neighborhood of the Milky Way. Some of the stars in this cluster are extremely massive and emit intense ultraviolet radiation. Star Pismis 24-1 was once thought to have an incredibly large mass of 200 to 300 solar masses. Hubble Space Telescope measurements of the star, however, resolved this into two separate stars, and therefore halved its mass to around 100-150 solar masses. Apparent magnitude 10.0

See it in the nebulas gallery