The Lobster Nebula - also known as NGC 6357 - is an active star-forming region filled with cosmic gas and dust and newborn stars.
It’s 400 lightyears wide and is located 8,000 lightyears away in the Scorpius constellation.
![Nebula_NGC6357_003 NGC 6357 Lobster Nebula by Tom Bishton, Brisbane, Australia. Equipment: ED120 Refractor, AZEQ6 Mount, ST80 Guidescope, Canon modded 600D, Synguider](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/48/2019/02/IMG_0750_0-f7923a5.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
While many astronomers see a lobster shape formed by the cosmic clouds of NGC 6357 - hence its nickname - others see a skull and a dove, leading to the nebula’s other nickname: the War and Peace Nebula.
NGC 6357 is often photographed along with NGC 6334, which is known as the Cat’s Paw nebula because its 3-lobed shape resembles a feline footprint.
Indeed, both easily fall under the category of nebulae that look like animals.
![Nebula_NGC6357_002 The Lobster and the Cat - NGC6357/NGC6344 by David Trotter, Sydney, Australia. Equipment: Canon 5D Mkii, Takahashi FSQ106n, AP Mach1 Mount](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/48/2019/02/NGC6334HSMSNLfnlv3tiny-77eeccb.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
The Lobster Nebula region is home to star cluster Pismis 24, which contains some of the most massive known stars in our home galaxy.
For advice on photographing a nebula, read our guide to deep-sky astrophotography or discover our pick of the best astrophotography cameras.
And don’t forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
![Nebula_NGC6357_004 Nebula Lobster or War and Peace by Fernando Oliveira De Menezes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: Apo 150 mm triplet, Qhy 16200](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/48/2019/02/lagostaJPG-30ff5dd.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
![Nebula_NGC6357_001 Lobster Nebula - NGC 6357 by Delberson Tiago de Souza, Silvania, GO, Brazil. Equipment: Orion ED80, SkyWatcher HEQ5, QHY163M, Optolong LRGB filters](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/48/2019/02/Lagosta_163M_lrgb_4h_final_small-b484851.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)