Omega Nebula (M17)
Also known as the Swan Nebula or Checkmark Nebula, a bright star-forming region visible with binoculars.
Nebula in Sagittarius. Magnitude 6.0.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 67° above the southern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 70° above the southern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 24 Jun, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
- Your eyes: Visible to the eye only from a dark site, as a misty patch; lost in city skies.
- 10x50 binoculars: A misty patch around its stars.
- A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): Shows its brighter structure; a nebula (UHC or OIII) filter helps.
- A camera: Spans about 40% of an APS-C frame at 800 mm (field 1.7° × 1.1°); needs a tracking mount. An H-alpha-sensitive (modified) camera brings out its red glow.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 46′ × 37′, 1.5 Moons across (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 6.0. Fainter than Georgetown's faintest stars (4.3) but brighter than Lethem's (6.0).
- Distance: 5,500 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 5,500 years ago.
What it is made of
- Type
- Emission Nebula
- Distance
- Approx. 5,500 Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 15 Lightyears diameter
- Ionized Hydrogen (HII): Dominant emission, pink-red color
- Dust Lanes: Obscures parts of nebula
- Young Star Cluster: Embedded, excites nebula
More deep-sky objects: Trifid Nebula (M20) · Lagoon Nebula (M8) · North America Nebula (NGC 7000) · Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) · Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) · California Nebula (NGC 1499)