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abstract: |
    We investigate the distribution of the gas (ionized, neutral atomic and molecular), and interstellar dust in the complex star forming region NGC6357 with the goal of studying the interplay between the massive stars in the open cluster Pis24 and the surrounding interstellar matter.

    Our study of the distribution of the ionized gas is based on narrow-band , , and  images obtained with the Curtis-Schmidt Camera at CTIO, Chile, and on radio continuum observations at 1465 MHz taken with the VLA with a synthesized beam of 40. The distribution of the molecular gas is analyzed using $^{12}$CO(1-0) data obtained with the Nanten radiotelescope, Chile (angular resolution = 27). The interstellar dust distribution was studied using mid-infrared data from the GLIMPSE survey and far-infrared observations from IRAS.

    NGC6357 consists of a large ionized shell and a number of smaller optical nebulosities. The optical, radio continuum, and near- and mid-IR images delineate the distributions of the ionized gas and interstellar dust in the  regions and in previously unknown wind blown bubbles linked to the massive stars in Pis24 revealing surrounding photodissociation regions. The CO line observations allowed us to identify the molecular counterparts of the ionized structures in the complex 