Copyright © 2010 Larry Phillips
M17 (NGC6618), the Omega or Swan Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius
This is a narrowband image in the SHO Hubble palette
Distance: 5,000 light years
Size: 40 light years across
Camera: SBIG ST-10XME
Telescope: Astrophysics Starfire 140 EDT F7.5
Mount: Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO with Advanced Telescope Systems portable pier
Images: 31 subexposures of 20 minutes each with 9 Ha, 12 OIII, and 10 SII for a total of 10 hours and 20 minutes
Date: June 2010
Software: Camera, mount, and guider control - CCD Commander & MaximDL, Calibration and stacking - CCDStack, further processing in Photoshop CS4.