M17 know as the Swan Nebula as well as the Omega is between 5,000 and 6,000 light-years from Earth and it spans some 15 light-years in diameter. The cloud of interstellar matter of which this nebula is a part is roughly 40 light-years in diameter and has a mass of 30,000 solar masses. The total mass of the Omega Nebula is an estimated 800 solar masses.
It is considered one of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions of our galaxy. Its local geometry is similar to the Orion Nebula except that it is viewed edge-on rather than face-on.
The above image is a stack of 30 x 5 minute sub frames. The images were taken with an AT6RC scope and a Starlight Express camera SXVR-M25C cooled to -5C. The mount is an Astro Physics AP-900 with CP4 controller. The guide scope is an 80 mm refactor and a Meade DSI camera. The images were captured using Astro Art 7and the guiding was done using PHD2. Calibration and some of the post processing was done in Astro Art 7 and the final processing was completed in Photoshop 5.
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