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M17
Messier 17
Omega Nebula
Diffuse Nebula
| Right Ascension | 18h 20m 30s | Best Seen | 7/15-10/15 |
| Declination | 16° 11' 00" | Magnitude | 6.0 |
| Constellation | Sagittarius | ||
Actual |
Compared to ... |
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| Distance | ~ 5,500 ly | -- |
| Actual Brightness | -- | -- |
| Diameter Visible Portion | 15 ly | -- |
| Diameter Entire Nebula | ~40 ly | -- |
| Mass | -- | 800 (Sun) |
| Density (gram/cubic cm) | -- | -- |
What To Look For Through The Telescope
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Recommended eyepiece: 24mm or 40 mm.
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Through the telescope the nebula will appear as a faint whitish cloud.
M17 "Omega Nebula" Information
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The Omega nebula is also referred to as the “Swan”, “Horseshoe” or “Lobster” nebula.
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The young stars heating the gas of this nebula are hidden within the nebula.
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The Omega nebula and other diffuse nebulae like it are stellar nurseries - the place where stars begin their lives.
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References
| Item | Updated | Notes |
| Coordinates | 2002-08-05 | just “tweaked” a bit |
| Magnitude | 2002-08-05 | previous: 7.0 – BUT checked http://messier.seds.org/m/m017.html |
| Distance | 2002-08-05 | previous: 5,700, but says |
| Actual Brightness | -- | |
| Diameter (Visible portion) | -- | |
| Diameter (Entire portion) | -- | |
| Mass | 2002-08-05 | http://messier.seds.org/m/m017.html |
| Density | -- | |
| Other Information | 2002-08-05 | added #2 under Omega Nebula information based on http://messier.seds.org/m/m017.html |