M17 Omega Nebula

Image Description and Details : M17 Omega Nebula

The Omega Nebula (also known as the Swan Nebula, Horseshoe Nebula, Lobster Nebula or with the catalog codes M 17 and NGC 6618) is an emission nebula, discovered by de Chéseaux in 1746 and rediscovered by Charles Messier in 1764, located in the constellation Sagittarius.
Thanks to its luminosity, the Omega Nebula is quite easy to locate: it is located 2° southeast of the star γ Scuti. it can be identified quite easily even with 10x50 binoculars or even smaller, if the sky is dark and clear: in these instruments it appears as an elongated spot; through a 114 mm instrument, equipped with a UHC filter, it reveals a good part of its nuances and plays of light. From 200mm onwards the vision is exceptional, and it is advisable to take a long exposure photo to capture the rosy colour.

Constellation: Sagittarius
Right Ascension :18h 20m 26s
Declination : -16° 10′ 36″
Distance : about 6000 a.l.
Apparent magnitude: 6.0

This magnificent nebula was taken by my friend Gianni Lacroce. There are just under two hours of shots taken with a zwo ASI 2600 MC camera, a camera given to Gianni by a shopkeeper near Rome to test it. The owner had the doubt of a malfunction (later revealed not to be present). Talking about his performance, I asked him if I could elaborate these few shots and he kindly granted me the integration master.

Data:

Telescope: Newton 200/800
ZWO Astronomy Cameras asi 2600MC
Optolong Astronomy Filter L-ULTIMATE 2"
Mount: EQ6r
Location: Rome (Cinecittà)
21 lights of 300" total exp 1h45'
Flat, dark ok

Copyright: Mirko Tondinelli _ Gianni LaCroce