The Cat’s Paw Nebula

The Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) is an emission nebula located 5,500 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation of Scorpius. Measuring 80–90 light-years across, the Cat’s Paw Nebula is one of the most active star-forming regions in the Milky Way. Hot, young blue stars that are more than 10 times as massive as the Sun are born here. Altogether, the Cat’s Paw Nebula contains approximately tens of thousands of stars. The Cat’s Paw intersects another similarly-sized star-forming region known as NGC 6357 or the Lobster Nebula.

The Cat’s Paw and the Lobster Nebulae (Image Credit: ESO.org)