RCW 127
Also called
Sh 2-8Coordinates: (351.23°, 0.77°)
[ Catalog | Explorer | SIMBAD ]
This is NGC 6334, the Cat's Paw nebula. This complex of HII regions contains one larger bubble (Gum 63) adjacent to three smaller bubbles (Gum 61, Gum 62 and Gum 64b) in addition to several other partially obscured nebulae and at least eleven major infrared sources that are probably mostly cooler B stars.
It lies at the same distance as NGC 6357, the War and Peace nebula, and is separated from it by a dark cloud. Both are near the Sco OB4 association in the Sagittarius arm.
It lies at the same distance as NGC 6357, the War and Peace nebula, and is separated from it by a dark cloud. Both are near the Sco OB4 association in the Sagittarius arm.
You can see both nebula together in this image.
Avedisova lists 4 ionising O-stars, the hottest of which is the O5 V HD 319699. [1] SIMBAD associates this star with Gum 63 and gives its class as O7. Avedisova places NGC 6334 in the massive star formation region SFR 351.30+0.70 with 176 components, including 16 masers and the well-studied infrared HII region IRAS 17175-3544.
This nebula contains at least eleven major infrared sources that are probably mostly cooler B stars.[2]
At the same distance as NGC 6357 and separated from it by a dark cloud.[3]
The Gum catalog divides this nebula into six pieces (Gum 61, 62, 63, 64a, 64b and 64c).
There are many images of this spectacular nebula available online. One of the most interesting is from Dr. Travis A. Rector at the University of Alaska - Anchorage here.
Avedisova lists 4 ionising O-stars, the hottest of which is the O5 V HD 319699. [1] SIMBAD associates this star with Gum 63 and gives its class as O7. Avedisova places NGC 6334 in the massive star formation region SFR 351.30+0.70 with 176 components, including 16 masers and the well-studied infrared HII region IRAS 17175-3544.
This nebula contains at least eleven major infrared sources that are probably mostly cooler B stars.[2]
At the same distance as NGC 6357 and separated from it by a dark cloud.[3]
The Gum catalog divides this nebula into six pieces (Gum 61, 62, 63, 64a, 64b and 64c).
There are many images of this spectacular nebula available online. One of the most interesting is from Dr. Travis A. Rector at the University of Alaska - Anchorage here.
Notes
1. ^ Avedisova, V. S. & Kondratenko, G. I. (1984). "Exciting stars and the distances of the diffuse nebulae", Nauchnye Informatsii, Vol. 56, 59. [1984NInfo..56...59A]
2. ^ Persi, P. & Ferrari-Toniolo, M. (1982). "Near-infrared sources in the NGC 6334 molecular cloud", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 112, 292-298. [1982A&A...112..292P]
3. ^ Neckel, T. (1984). "Polarimetric and new photometric observations in the NGC6334/6357 region", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 137, 58-62. [1984A&A...137...58N]
Distance estimates
1700 pc [1982ApJS...49..183B]1740 pc +/- 300 [1989BAICz..40...42A]
1700 pc +/- 300 [2012A&A...538A.142R]
Links
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Most of the sources used to create these nebula descriptions are listed in the
notes section for each description. In some cases,
for example the Avedisova, Humphreys and Reed catalogs, the source is used extensively and is not listed in the
individual nebula descriptions. See this catalog overview
for more information on the catalogs and the general sources used
to create these descriptions and this introduction to HII regions
on the general history of this area of astronomy.
This image was created using the POSS-II/UKSTU data of the Digitized Sky Survey and SuperCOSMOS using the process described here.
According to my correspondence with the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and the Space Telescope Science Institute, I am allowed to use the POSS-II/UKSTU data to create and display images for non-commercial purposes so long as I include this fine print for the SuperCOSMOS data:
Use of these images is courtesy of the UK Schmidt Telescope (copyright in which is owned by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council of the UK and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board) and the Southern Sky Survey as created by the SuperCOSMOS measuring machine and are reproduced here with permission from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
and this acknowledgement taken from the DSS site:
The Digitized Sky Surveys were produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under U.S. Government grant NAG W-2166. The images of these surveys are based on photographic data obtained using the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain and the UK Schmidt Telescope. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with the permission of these institutions.
The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation.
The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt.
The "Second Epoch Survey" of the southern sky was made by the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1993-5 by the Anglo-Australian Observatory Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The "Equatorial Red Atlas" of the southern sky was made with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Plates from this survey have been digitized and compressed by the ST ScI. The digitized images are copyright ? 1992-5, jointly by the UK SERC/PPARC (Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, formerly Science and Engineering Research Council) and the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, and are distributed herein by agreement.
The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement. The compressed files of the "Palomar Observatory - Space Telescope Science Institute Digital Sky Survey" of the northern sky, based on scans of the Second Palomar Sky Survey are copyright ? 1993-1995 by the California Institute of Technology and are distributed herein by agreement.