Emission nebula
The Omega Nebula
Also M17 · Swan Nebula · NGC 6618
A bright region of star birth, also called the Swan Nebula, lit by a cluster of hot young stars.
Measured
- Distance
- about 5,500 light-years (published estimates 5,000–6,000)
- Size
- about 22 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Position (J2000)
- RA 18h 20m 26s, Dec −16.18°
How far, from the Sun
About 5,500 light-years. To cross it:
- Light5,500 years
- Voyager 1's speed97.7 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h59.4 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- It is the second-brightest glowing gas region in our sky after Orion, and one of the largest star-forming regions in the Milky Way.
How it was found
- Philippe Loys de Chéseaux discovered it in 1745; Messier catalogued it in 1764.
Where this comes from
- Kuhn et al. 2019, ApJ 870, 32, Gaia DR2 (1,680 +130/−110 pc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.