Ed Litoborski caught this fantastic image of NGC 6357 and NGC 7635 in Scorpius with his SVX102T-R. Both of these emission nebulae are star forming regions located in our Milky Way Galaxy. There, they are fueled by intense stellar winds and radiation from massive central stars, causing them to glow.
According to Ed:
“2 for 1 image consisting of NGC 6357 (Lobster Nebula) and NGC7635 (Bubble Nebula).”
"NGC 6357 includes the open cluster Pismis 24, which was thought to be the most massive on record approaching 300 solar masses until it was discovered to be made up of at least 3 stars that measure 100 solar masses each making them among the more massive stars on record.”
“NGC 7635 The "Bubble" is created by a stellar wind from a massive hot 8.7 magnitude central star. The nebula is near the giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula itself being excited by the hot central star causing it to glow.”
Other Designations:
- NGC 6357: Lobster Nebula, War and Peace Nebula, Sharpless 11, RCW 131, Gum 66, Madokami.
- Bubble NGC 7635: Bubble Nebula, Sharpless 162 (Sh2-162), Caldwell 11.
Equipment:
- Image taken over 4 nights, Oct 2nd, 11-12th & 14th 2024 which totaled of 17 hours of integration time
- Telescope: Stellarvue SVX102T
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
- Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI290 Mini
- Guide Scope: Astromania 50mm guide scope
- Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6R Pro
- Filter: Antlia 2" ALP-T nm
Accessories:
- Stellarvue SFFX-1
- ZWO ASIAIR Pro
- ZWO EAF
- Pegasus Pocket Power box
Software:
- Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
- ZWO ASIAIR
- Affinity Photo
*For more details and an in-depth look at this image, visit Ed’s AstroBin.
You can also visit his website Interstellar Astrophotography to browse or acquire images from his portfolio.
References:
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, September 11). NGC 6357. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6357
Wikipedia contributors. (2024b, October 8). Bubble Nebula. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Nebula
Cosgrove, P. A. (2024, February 19). SH2-157 The Lobster Claw Nebula - with NGC 7635 (The Bubble Nebula) in SHO - 4.25 hours. — Cosgrove’s Cosmos. Cosgrove’s Cosmos. https://cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2-157-lobster-claw
Salvatore Iovene - http://iovene.com/. (n.d.). Bubble nebula and lobster claw mosaic. AstroBin. https://www.astrobin.com/pknu90/F/
Jones, T. (2023, August 7). Photographing the lobster claw nebula. AstroBackyard. https://astrobackyard.com/lobster-claw-nebula/
Cosgrove, P. A. (2024b, February 19). SH2-157 The Lobster Claw Nebula - with NGC 7635 (The Bubble Nebula) in SHO - 4.25 hours. — Cosgrove’s Cosmos. Cosgrove’s Cosmos. https://cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2-157-lobster-claw