M17 - Swan Nebula
Messier 17 is one of
the brightest nebulae in the sky. It is called by many different
names including the Swan Nebula, the Omega Nebula, the Horseshoe
Nebula, and "the checkmark". The nebula contains also about
30-40 stars which form a fairly new cluster. These young stars
light the nebula and since hydrogen gas glows red when excited
by the stars photons, the nebula appears red. The whitish region
is not due to overexposure but is believed to be a mixture of
reflection and emission from the young stars. Stats for M17 are
RA: 18h 20m 45.0s, Dec: -16° 10' 00", Mag: 6.9, Size:
11.0'x6.0', Class: E.
| Optics: |
Celestron C11 F/11 (3100mm Focal Length) |
Date: |
August 8, 2007 |
| Camera: |
SBIG ST10XME with Adaptive Optics |
Location: |
Columbus, Texas |
| Exposure: |
LRGB = 150:50:70:80 minutes |
Imager: |
Kent E. Biggs |
