Comparison of VISTA image of NGC 6357 with a visible light image

This image compares infrared and visible views of the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357). The visible light image (left) was created from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 images. The new infrared image (right) was taken with the VISTA telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory. In the infrared, the dust that obscures many stars becomes nearly transparent, revealing a whole host of new stars that are otherwise invisible.