NGC 6334

The Cats Paw Nebula. Emission Nebula, Scorpius

May 2021. Observatorio El Sauce, Chile

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. It was discovered by astronomer John Herschel in 1837, who observed it from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The nebula is located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way, at a distance of approximately 5.5 kilolight-years from the Sun. The nebula is a high mass filamentary cloud structure spanning ~320 ly. Several embedded star-forming regions have been identified from infrared and radio emissions. Four of these sites have formed H II regions.

Telescope: Planewave CDK17 (FR) f4.5
Mount: Astro Physics 1600GTO
Camera: QHY16200A/ Integral FW
Guider: Agena Starguide II / SBIG STi

H-alpha: 72×10 mins = 720 mins

Total Imaging Time: 12h 00m

Data Imaged remotely over 4 nights during May 2021.
Imaged from Observatorio El Sauce, Chile, in partnership with Fred Espenak.
Data acquisition & Processing by David Churchill.