Andromeda
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Emission nebula

The Cat's Paw Nebula

Also NGC 6334

Open in Ouranos

One of the most active nurseries of massive stars in the Milky Way, in Scorpius.

Measured

Distance
5,349 light-years
Constellation
Scorpius
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 20m 52s, Dec −36.13°

How far, from the Sun

5,350 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light5,350 years
  • Voyager 1's speed95 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h57.7 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • It is forming stars, many of them massive, at a high rate.
  • Its glowing gas clouds look like the print of a cat's paw.

Where this comes from

  • Shen et al. 2025, A&A 696, A67 (1.64 +0.04/−0.03 kpc)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.