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, 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
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Nebula
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