Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature

> Part of M17 nebula

Part of M17 nebula

author: ESO/Novapix

reference: a-neb66-18026

Image Size 300 DPI: 26 * 26 cm

The Omega Nebula (M17) is one of the youngest and most massive star-forming regions in the Milky Way. Active star-birth started a few million years ago and continues through today. The brightly shining gas shown in this picture is just a blister erupting from the side of a much larger dark cloud of molecular gas. The dust that is so prominent in this picture comes from the remains of massive hot stars that have ended their brief lives and ejected material back into space, as well as the cosmic detritus from which future suns form. Three-colour composite image of the Omega Nebula (Messier 17), based on images obtained with the EMMI instrument on the ESO 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory. North is down and East is to the right in the image. It spans an angle equal to about one third the diameter of the Full Moon, corresponding to about 15 light-years at the distance of the Omega Nebula.

Keywords for this photo:

2009 - ASTRONOMY - DIFFUSE NEBULA - EMISSION NEBULA - M17 - MOLECULAR CLOUD - NEBULA - NGC 6618 - NTT - OMEGA - SAGITTARIUS - STAR - STAR FORMATION - YOUNG STAR -