This nebula gets its nickname from its resemblance to the Greek letter omega; it’s also known as M17 or the Swan Nebula (although some have compared it to an “upside down duck”). The Omega Nebula is about 7000 light years away, and about 20 light years across. It is lit up by a cluster of stars that is deeply embedded in the dust and gas of the nebula, so much so that most of the stars are hardly visible to us.
The nebula was discovered by the Swiss astronomer Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745, and was added to Messier’s catalog in 1764.
Imaging details:
Celestron C6 SCT @ f/6.3, Celestron CG5 GoTo Mount,
Canon 350D at Prime focus, 26x25s ISO 1600
Cropped with GIMP, Stacked in Registax 5,
re-edited and stacked for color and contrast in GIMP.
Thanks for posting this, I did not really expect to see this get accepted for AAPOD.
In my opinion, see a lot of high-end images pass through here and this really doesn't qualify as one. I'm just starting out taking pictures of DSOs and the learning process is steep at times. Thanks for the confidence boost just the same.
2009-06-03 01:44:54 GMT
Tavi
MB, this image absolutely qualifies for amateur astronomy picture of the day! Beautiful work!
2009-06-03 12:26:48 GMT
mb
Thanks Tavi.
Hey, I have a question: are you Tavi_G from slooh.com? I think I've chatted with you this time last year at slooh's chat room. ... if it is the Tavi I remember
