NGC 6334: The Bear Claw Nebula
Explanation:
NGC 6334 is a cloud of gas and dust that
appears to be forming massive stars.
At 5500 light-years away, the
Bear Claw Nebula, as it has also been dubbed,
is more than three times as distant as the
Orion Nebula, but still close enough for detailed study.
The Bear Claw Nebula can be found towards the constellation of
Scorpius.
In visible light, ionized gas makes
NGC 6334 look quite red.
The above false-color photograph, however, was taken in
infrared light. There, the glow of starlight absorbing
dust is more apparent
(depicted in blue).
Current
research
indicates that the bright sources are
very young and massive stars.
These stars emit light so energetic and intense
that it destroys fine grains of
dust in their
immediate vicinity, creating an abundance of
ionized gas (depicted in red).
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
