Astronomer's Magnificent View of Omega Nebula

Officially catalogued as Messier 17 (M17) and NGC 6618, the nebula in this image is also called the Omega Nebula, the Swan Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula and the Lobster Nebula. 

Former NASA scientist Fred Herrmann of Huntsville, Ala., sent this photo of the Omega Nebula to SPACE.com on Sept. 25, 2013. 

He used a Takahashi TOA-130 Telescope, STT-8300 Monochrome CCD Camera, and Ha and Oiii elemental filters to capture the image.

Credit: Fred Herrmann | Owl Mountain Observatory

The nebula featured in this beautiful image is officially catalogued as Messier 17 and NGC 6618, but it is called many different names, including the Swan Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula, the Lobster Nebula and the Omega Nebula.

Located roughly 6,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius (The Archer), Messier 17 is one of the youngest and most active hot beds of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy.

The nebula stretches 15 light-years in diameter, the center of which is packed with gas and dust, which are the raw ingredients from which new stars are born.

A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).

VST Image: Star-forming Region Messier 17 - Omega Nebula

The first released VST image shows the spectacular star-forming region Messier 17, also known as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula, as it has never been seen before. 

This vast region of gas, dust and hot young stars lies in the heart of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). 

The VST field of view is so large that the entire nebula, including its fainter outer parts, is captured — and retains its superb sharpness across the entire image. 

The data was processed using the Astro-WISE software system developed by E.A. Valentijn and collaborators at Groningen and elsewhere.

Credit: ESO/INAF-VST/OmegaCAM. Acknowledgement: OmegaCen/Astro-WISE/Kapteyn Institute