Luigi La Bella from Melilli, Italy
The Lobster Claw Nebula (Sharpless 2-157) is a faint emission nebula straddling the constellations Cassiopeia and Cepheus. This complex of gas and dust has been sculpted by the massive stars of the Cassiopeia OB2 association — including the Wolf-Rayet star WR 157 — whose winds carve its ring-shaped northern half (at right). The photographer combined 37.2 hours of exposure in the Hubble palette with a 4.7-inch f/5.6 refractor.