NGC 6334

NGC 6334, colloquially known as the Cat's Paw Nebula, Bear Claw Nebula, or Gum 64, is an emission nebula and star-forming region located in the constellation Scorpius.[4] NGC 6334 was discovered by astronomer John Herschel in 1837, who observed it from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.[5] The nebula is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way,[6] at a distance of approximately 5.5 kilolight-years from the Sun.[7]

The location of NGC 6334 (circled in red)
NGC 6334
Emission nebula
Infrared image of the Cat's Paw Nebula. Green areas showing regions where radiation from hot stars collided with large molecules and small dust grains called "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons" (PAHs), causing them to fluoresce
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension17 20 50.9h [1]
Declination−36° 06′ 54″[1]
Distance4.37 ± 0.65 kly (1.34 ± 0.2 kpc)[2] ly
Apparent dimensions (V)40'×23'
ConstellationScorpius
Physical characteristics
Radius40 ly
DesignationsNGC 6334, ESO 392-EN 009,[3]
Sharpless 8, RCW 127,
Gum 64

The nebula is a high mass filamentary cloud structure spanning ~320 ly. In the visible part of the spectrum, it emits mainly in red (from hydrogen atoms) and blue (from oxygen atoms).[8] Several embedded star-forming regions have been identified from infrared and radio emissions. Four of these sites have formed H II regions.[6]

  • Spitzer view of the star-forming region NGC 6334
    Spitzer view of the star-forming region NGC 6334
  • VLT Survey Telescope image shows the Cat's Paw Nebula and the Lobster Nebula.
    VLT Survey Telescope image shows the Cat's Paw Nebula and the Lobster Nebula.[9]
  • This portrait of NGC 6334 was created from images taken with the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.
    This portrait of NGC 6334 was created from images taken with the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.
  • ESO's VISTA infrared view of NGC 6334
    ESO's VISTA infrared view of NGC 6334
  • Submillimetre views of the star formation region
    Submillimetre views of the star formation region
  • Protocluster NGC 6334I is a star-forming cloud in the Cat's Paw Nebula.
    Protocluster NGC 6334I is a star-forming cloud in the Cat's Paw Nebula.[10]
  • The photograph of NGC 6334.
    The photograph of NGC 6334.
  • VISTA infrared view of NGC 6334.
  • The photo was taken in 1986
    NGC 6334 photographed in 1986

References
  1. Kharchenko, N. V.; et al. (2013), "Global survey of star clusters in the Milky Way. II. The catalogue of basic parameters", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 558: 8, arXiv:1308.5822, Bibcode:2013A&A...558A..53K, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322302, S2CID 118548517, A53.
  2. Reid, M. J.; Menten, K. M.; Brunthaler, A.; Zheng, X. W.; Dame, T. M.; Xu, Y.; Wu, Y.; Zhang, B.; Sanna, A.; Sato, M.; Hachisuka, K.; Choi, Y. K.; Immer, K.; Moscadelli, L.; Rygl, K. L. J.; Bartkiewicz, A. (2014). "Trigonometric Parallaxes of High Mass Star Forming Regions: The Structure and Kinematics of the Milky Way". The Astrophysical Journal. 783 (2): 130. arXiv:1401.5377. Bibcode:2014ApJ...783..130R. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/783/2/130.
  3. "NGC 6334". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  4. Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (2003-07-17). "The Cat's Paw Nebula". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  5. "NGC 6334 - The Cat's Paw Nebula". SEDS Database. SEDS. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  6. Sadaghiani, M.; et al. (March 2020). "Physical properties of the star-forming clusters in NGC 6334. A study of the continuum dust emission with ALMA". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 635: 25. arXiv:1911.06579. Bibcode:2020A&A...635A...2S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935699. S2CID 208077028. A2.
  7. Russeil, D.; et al. (2012). "Statistical study of OB stars in NGC 6334 and NGC 6357". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 538: A142. Bibcode:2012A&A...538A.142R. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117299.
  8. "NGC 6334, Cat's Paw Nebula(true color)". earthandskyimaging.com. Earth and sky imaging. October 2019.
  9. "The Cat's Paw and Lobster Nebulae". www.eso.org. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  10. "Protostar blazes and reshapes its stellar nursery". www.eso.org. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
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