Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Sagittarius (Sgr)  ·  Contains:  Checkmark Nebula  ·  HD168276  ·  HD168302  ·  HD168415  ·  HD168446  ·  HD168447  ·  HD168462  ·  HD168521  ·  HD168569  ·  HD168585  ·  HD168607  ·  HD168625  ·  HD168700  ·  HD168701  ·  HD168726  ·  IC 4706  ·  IC 4707  ·  LBN 60  ·  Lobster Nebula  ·  M 17  ·  NGC 6618  ·  Sh2-45  ·  Swan Nebula  ·  omega Nebula
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M17, Swan/Omega Nebula, Reggie
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M17, Swan/Omega Nebula

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M17, Swan/Omega Nebula, Reggie
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M17, Swan/Omega Nebula

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Description

The Omega Nebula is between 5,000 and 6,000 light-years from Earth and it spans some 15 light-years in diameter. The cloud of interstellar matter of which this nebula is a part is roughly 40 light-years in diameter and has a mass of 30,000 solar masses. The total mass of the Omega Nebula is an estimated 800 solar masses.

It is considered one of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions of our galaxy.[3] Its local geometry is similar to the Orion Nebula except that it is viewed edge-on rather than face-on.

The open cluster NGC 6618 lies embedded in the nebulosity and causes the gases of the nebula to shine due to radiation from these hot, young stars; however, the actual number of stars in the nebula is much higher - up to 800, 100 of spectral type earlier than B9, and 9 of spectral type O,[citation needed] plus over a thousand stars in formation on its outer regions. It is also one of the youngest clusters known, with an age of just 1 million years.

The luminous blue variable HD 168607, in the south-east part of the nebula, is generally assumed to be associated with it; its close neighbor, the blue hypergiant HD 168625, may be too.

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M17, Swan/Omega Nebula, Reggie