Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Sagittarius (Sgr)  ·  Contains:  M 17  ·  NGC 6618  ·  Omega nebula  ·  Sh2-45
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Core of M17 - Omega Nebula in SHO, Cfosterstars
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Core of M17 - Omega Nebula in SHO

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Core of M17 - Omega Nebula in SHO, Cfosterstars
Powered byPixInsight

Core of M17 - Omega Nebula in SHO

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I have been working an resurrecting my first scope: Meade 10" ACF SCT. Lots of work and money later, it performing nicely. This is the core region of the Omega Nebula in SHO.

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

The Swan portion of M17, the Omega Nebula in the Sagittarius nebulosity is said to resemble a barber's pole.

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Core of M17 - Omega Nebula in SHO, Cfosterstars