Astronomy Picture of the Day 7-17-03

NASA ^ | 7-17-03 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

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.

2003 July 17

The Cat's Paw Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Bernd Flach-Wilken & Volker Wendel (Spiegelteam), 2002 Namibia trip

Explanation: As soon as we find out whose cat did this . . . Nebulae are as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. No cat, though, could have created the vast Cat's Paw Nebula visible in Scorpius. At 5500 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula with a red color that originates from an abundance of ionized hydrogen atoms. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula or NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years. Pictured above, the Cat's Paw nebula was photographed during an astrophotography expedition to Namibia.

[petuniasevan]

Infrared view (SPIREX) of the above nebula:

It is low in the southern sky in summer from my location. Sorry, RightWhale, another interesting object hides below your horizon.

Stats for NGC 6334:

Emission nebula
Size: 35' x 20'
RA: 17h 20.4m
Dec: -35 51'

[petuniasevan]

[petuniasevan]

[Support Free Republic]

SHOW JIM THE MONEY!!!!

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

BTTT

[WSGilcrest]

[Zavien Doombringer]

We, The Viking Kitties thank you for reminding us from whence we came!

[foolish-one]

Bookmarked. Will be watching with interest.

[RightWhale]

Many interesting things lie below the horizon, but with aid of FR we can at least become aware of some of them. Astronomical objects included.

[sistergoldenhair]

Thanks for the ping.
It's beautiful.

[Michael Barnes]

all the possibilities in the background of that pic is simply stunning...thanks for all the great posts..