74 ASTRONOMY • JULY 2018
Escape from
the Lobster
Heavyweight stars
dominate the young
cluster Pismis 24. At least
three of these behemoths
tip the scales at 100 solar
masses or more and
rank among our galaxy’s
most massive suns. The
cluster lies in the core of
the Lobster Nebula (NGC
6357) about 8,000 light-
years from Earth in the
constellation Scorpius.
Pismis 24 already has
begun to emerge from
the Lobster’s clutches. The
glowing gas just below
the cluster in this Hubble
image is the nebula’s
brightest section. Intense
radiation from the brilliant
stars has created a bubble
in the surrounding gas
that lets their light shine
through. NASA/ESA/JESÚS MAÍZ
APELLÁNIZ (IAA, SPAIN)BREAK
THROUGH