Emission nebula in Sagittarius
Star-hop chart
Through a telescope, the brightest
portions of Messier 17 look something like the profile of the head, neck, and
body of a swan floating on a lake, hence its nickname. Other names for this object, which focus
on the curved section of the nebula, are the Omega Nebula and the Horseshoe
Nebula. Emission nebulae glow
because of the energy they receive from nearby stars, and a cluster of stars
illuminates this nebula. New stars
are thought to be forming there as well. The nebula is about 5000 light years away. It can be easily seen with binoculars,
and its swan-like shape can be discerned (though the swan is upside-down for
northern hemisphere observers).
| Magnitude | 6.0 |
| Apparent Size | 20' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 5,000 |
| Right Ascension | 18:20.8 |
| Declination | -16 11 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Exposure times of 18 minutes luminance, and 9 minutes each of red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
July 2014