NGC 6357

NGC 6357
A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of Pismis 24-1, the "core" of NGC 6357. Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension	17h 24m[1]
Declination	-34° 20′[1]
Constellation	Scorpius[2]
Physical characteristics
Other designations	War and Peace Nebula[1], Sharpless 11, RCW 131, Gum 66
See also: Diffuse nebula, Lists of nebulae
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NGC 6357 is a diffuse nebula near NGC 6334 in the constellation Scorpius. This nebula was given the name War and Peace Nebula by the Midcourse Space Experiment scientists because of its appearance. They said that in infrared images the bright, western part resembles a dove, while the eastern part looks like a skull.^[3] The nebula contains many proto-stars shielded by dark disks of gas, and young stars wrapped in expanding "cocoons".

Pismis 24

This nebula includes the open cluster Pismis 24, which is home to several massive stars. One of the brightest stars in the cluster, Pismis 24-1, was thought possibly to be the most massive on record, approaching 300 solar masses, until it was discovered to be a binary system with each star exceeding 100 solar masses.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for NGC 6357. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
2. ^ R. W. Sinnott, editor (1988). The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-933-34651-4. 
3. ^ http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/gallery/powcap25.html
4. ^ "ESA Science & Technology: Star on a Hubble diet NGC 6357". http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0619a.html. Retrieved 2007-04-11. 

External links

• APOD Pictures:

1. A Massive Star in NGC 6357 with a close-up of Pismis 24.
2. Star Forming Region NGC 6357 showing complex interactions between interstellar winds, radiation pressures and magnetic fields.

See also