Sh2-200, frequently called the Bear Claw Nebula (or HDW 2), is an ancient and extremely faint planetary nebula situated in the constellation Cassiopeia. Located approximately 3,600 light-years away, it was originally cataloged as an H II region by Stewart Sharpless in 1959 but was only confirmed as a planetary nebula through spectroscopy in 2017. Its nickname is derived from the distinct, rippled internal structures and a central shell that resemble the markings of a claw, though some observers also liken its round, hazy appearance to a “snow globe” set against a backdrop of glowing hydrogen. One of its most scientifically interesting features is a massive, faint outer halo of ionized hydrogen; this halo is thought to be unrelated gas from the surrounding interstellar medium that has been “lit up” (ionized) by the intense radiation from the nebula’s extremely hot central white dwarf.  Written by Gemini AI.