Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Sagittarius (Sgr)  ·  Contains:  Checkmark Nebula  ·  IC 4706  ·  IC 4707  ·  Lobster Nebula  ·  M 17  ·  NGC 6618  ·  Swan Nebula  ·  omega Nebula
M17, ewa
M17
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M17

M17, ewa
M17
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M17

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Description

M17 , the Omega Nebula was discovered in 1745 by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux. It is located 5,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The nebula has an apparent magnitude of 6 and can be seen with a pair of binoculars. M17, which appears near M16 and M18 in the sky, is best viewed on clear nights in August.
M17 contains one of our galaxy’s youngest star clusters, at only 1 million years old. However, many of the young stars in this cluster are impossible to see because of the gas and dust that surrounds them. The powerful radiation from the young stars evaporates and erodes the dense clouds of cold gas in which new stars form. One such pocket of gas is seen at the center of the brightest region of the nebula (near the bottom of this image) and is about 10 times larger than our solar system. Other dense pockets of gas have formed the remarkable dark features jutting inward from the bottom left corner of the image.
This image has been captured during my astro trip with friends in March of this year to Shurley's Ranch in Marfa, Texas.  The Ranch features not only wonderful hosts but also Bortle 1 skies.  My friends and co- strophotographers, Dawn Lowry, Terry Felty and Scotty Bishop  enjoyed several wonderful clear nights down theer with me. It's not to say it was not at times challenging. As usually there were some equipment frustrations, ocasionally wind was too strong  but it was a wonderful experience that we are looking forward to repead in October.  The 24hour drive down there is worth every minute.  I hope you enjoy this image.

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M17, ewa