Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 December 26
                                      [2]
                        NGC 6357: The Lobster Nebula
                          Image Credit: Dean Carr [3]

Explanation: Why is the Lobster Nebula forming some of the most massive stars
known? No one is yet sure [4] . Cataloged as NGC 6357, the Lobster Nebula
houses the open star cluster Pismis 24 [5]  near its center -- a home to
unusually bright and massive stars. The overall blue glow [6] near the inner
star forming region results from the emission [7]  of ionized [8] hydrogen [9]
 gas. The surrounding nebula, featured here [10] , holds a complex tapestry of
gas, dark dust [11] , stars still forming, and newly born stars. The intricate
patterns are caused by complex interactions between interstellar winds [12] ,
radiation pressures [13] , magnetic fields [14] , and gravity [15] . NGC 6357
spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years [16]  away toward
the constellation of the Scorpion [17] .

                 Free Download: 2019 APOD Calendar (v5) [18]
                      Tomorrow's picture: hole of the key

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [30] (MTU [31] ) & Jerry Bonnell [32]
                                  (UMCP [33] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [34] .
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                           & Michigan Tech. U. [39]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1812/Lobster_Carr_3954.jpg
  [3] https://www.astrobin.com/users/dean.carr/
  [4] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015A%26A...573A..95M
  [5] ap160327.html
  [6] http://bf-astro.com/hubblep.htm
  [7] emission_nebulae.html
  [8] http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Chemical/ionize.html
  [9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen
  [10] https://www.astrobin.com/330823/H/
  [11] ap060409.html
  [12]
https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/blueshift/index.php/2009/11/17/
dust-in-the-interstellar-wind/
  [13] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_pressure
  [14] http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whmfield.html
  [15] https://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/qa_gp_gr.html
  [16] http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
  [17] http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/scorpius.html
  [18] https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1812/ApodCalendar2019v4_Dave.pdf
  [19] ap181225.html
  [20] archivepix.html
  [21] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [22] lib/aptree.html
  [23] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [24] calendar/allyears.html
  [25] /apod.rss
  [26] lib/edlinks.html
  [27] lib/about_apod.html
  [28] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=181226
  [29] ap181227.html
  [30] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [31] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [32] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [33] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [34] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [36] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [38] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [39] http://www.mtu.edu/

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