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Two nebulae in the ‘stinging tail’ of the constellation Scorpius can be seen in stunning new detail in one of largest images ever released by the ESO.

The new picture from the Very Large Telescope uses roughly two billion pictures to display the Cat’s Paw and Lobster nebulae, which sit 5500 and 8000 light-years away from Earth.

Observation capabilities have come a long way since the objects were first spotted in 1837, but even with the powerful new instruments, thick dust in the nebulae keeps much of their content hidden.

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Two nebulae in the ‘stinging tail’ of the constellation Scorpius can be seen in stunning new detail in one of largest images ever released by the ESO. The new picture from the Very Large Telescope uses roughly two billion pictures to display the Cat’s Paw and Lobster nebulae, which sit 5500 and 8000 light-years away from Earth.

Astronomers have studied the Cat’s Paw Nebula and the Lobster Nebula, named NGC 6334 and NGC 6357, respectively, for roughly 180 years.

Small traces were first detected by British scientist John Herschel on consecutive nights in June 1837.

The scientist spotted the brightest ‘toepad’ of the Cat’s Paw during a three-year expedition to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Now, telescopes are able to see three of these toepads and the claw-like regions of the nearby Lobster Nebyla.

These features are actually made up of gas, mostly hydrogen, that’s energized by the light of newborn stars.

The Cat’s Paw is one of the most active stellar nurseries in the sky, according to the ESO, producing thousands of young, hot stars.

The images shows a number of highlights from the stunning two billion pixel view. The hydrogen clouds of the stellar nurseries glow in red, alongside darker clouds of dust

The hot stars in these nebulae are around 10 times more massive than the Sun, and radiate intense ultraviolet light.

When the light encounters hydrogen atoms, the atoms become ionized, creating a glowing ‘cloud’ known as emission nebulae.

Scientists with the ESO were able to capture this stunning new view using the Very Large Survey Telescope’s (VST) 256-megapixel OmegaCam camera.

Astronomers have studied the Cat’s Paw Nebula and the Lobster Nebula, named NGC 6334 and NGC 6357, respectively, for roughly 180 years. Small traces were first detected by British scientist John Herschel on consecutive nights in June 1837

The massive image – at 49511 x 39136 pixels – shows tendrils of dust moving through the nebulae, blocking some of the light.

While thick dust continues to hide much of the nebulae’s content, telescopes such as the ESO’s VISTA can observe infrared wavelengths to the star formation activity behind the cloud.

According to the scientists, viewing the nebulae in different wavelengths can change their appearance.

At the longer infrared wavelength, part of the Lobster nebula looks like a dove, while the other appears to be a skull.

This has earned NGC 6357 the name ‘War and Peace Nebula’ along with its other moniker.