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Credit & Copyright: Gaetan Maxant
Explanation:
A nearby star factory known as
Messier 17
lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation
Sagittarius.
At that distance, this 1.5 degree wide
field-of-view would span about 150 light-years.
In
the sharp color composite image
faint details of the region's gas and dust clouds
are highlighted with narrowband image data against a backdrop of
central Milky Way stars.
The stellar winds and energetic radiation from hot, massive stars already
formed from M17's stock of cosmic gas and dust
have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material,
producing the nebula's cavernous appearance and the
undulating shapes within.
A popular stop on telescopic tours of the cosmos,
M17
is also known
as the Omega or the Swan Nebula.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 17 - star formation
Publications with words: M 17 - star formation
See also: