APOD: Star Factory Messier 17 (2015 Oct 22)

[APOD Robot]

Star Factory Messier 17

Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, the star factory known as Messier 17 lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this 1/3 degree wide field of view spans over 30 light-years. The sharp composite, color image, highlights faint details of the region's gas and dust clouds against a backdrop of central Milky Way stars. Stellar winds and energetic light from hot, massive stars formed from M17 stock of cosmic gas and dust have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material producing the cavernous appearance and undulating shapes. M17 is also known as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula.

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[Animal of Stone]

M17 puts Hollywood to shame

[Boomer12k]

"Coffee break is over, back to work!!"--- The Foreman...

Great pic...

:---[===] *

[Ann]

Click to view full size image

Great image!

M17 is an example of a so called champagne flow nebula, where the incredible outflows from the newborn O-type stars create a tremendous wind that has broken through the nebula, flowing out of it like champagne.

Ann

[Pucknut]

What's this Messier 17 nonsense? Everyone knows Messier wore No. 11 when he played for the Oilers, Rangers and Canucks! Duh.
What? This isn't about Mark Messier?
Never mind.

[MarkBour]

M17 is an example of a so called champagne flow nebula, where the incredible outflows from the newborn O-type stars create a tremendous wind that has broken through the nebula, flowing out of it like champagne.
Ann

Could you help me see what you're talking about by giving some pointers of where, in the nebula to find one or more of the O-type stars?

[starsurfer]

Stunning image, if I hadn't read the credits I thought it was assembled by Robert Gendler! Nice to see the "other" Messier nebula in Sagittarius getting some attention.

[Chris Peterson]

The names given this object (Swan, Omega) are based on its visual appearance through a telescope eyepiece, which is nothing like what we get with a deep color image. Here is today's image, rotated 180° to south up, with the contrast and color tweaked to approximate a telescopic view. I've highlighted the location of the swan- easily seen visually, not so easily seen in images.

[Cousin Ricky]

The names given this object (Swan, Omega) are based on its visual appearance through a telescope eyepiece, which is nothing like what we get with a deep color image.

I have never been able to see an omega through the eyepiece. I could never figure out why it was called the Omega Nebula until I saw a deep exposure for the first time. (Most of the photos I've seen aren't deep enough, but today's photo shows the omega very clearly.)

Here is today's image, rotated 180° to south up, with the contrast and color tweaked to approximate a telescopic view. I've highlighted the location of the swan- easily seen visually, not so easily seen in images.

I've never had trouble seeing the swan in photos.

[rgendler]

If anyone is interested here's a composite image I made using Roberto's APOD as RGB with detail from HST and Subaru.
http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M17- ... u-ESO.html

[Chris Peterson]

Here is today's image, rotated 180° to south up, with the contrast and color tweaked to approximate a telescopic view. I've highlighted the location of the swan- easily seen visually, not so easily seen in images.

I've never had trouble seeing the swan in photos.

In some. But not so much in deep color ones like today's. Yeah, if you know what you're looking for you can pick it out. But otherwise...

[Tekija]

What's this Messier 17 nonsense? Everyone knows Messier wore No. 11 when he played for the Oilers, Rangers and Canucks! Duh. What? This isn't about Mark Messier?

On Tuesday, February 27th, Mark Messier's #11 banner will rise to the top of Rexall Place, to take its place alongside a number of other Oilers greats. In addition to the jersey retirement ceremony, prior to the Oilers sold-out game versus the Phoenix Coyotes, a number of other events will be scheduled to commemorate Mark Messier's stellar career.



"I was born and raised in Edmonton, and spent the first twelve years of my NHL career playing for the Oilers. Having my number raised to the rafters of Rexall Place, where we accomplished so much as a team, and I made so many lifelong friends, is truly an honour," said Mark Messier. "For me, the celebration is really about my teammates, the coaches, the fans, and the people of Edmonton that made my days with the Oilers so special. So, as part of the celebration, it was important for me to be able to give something backoto the fans and the community that helped me become the player and the person I am today. By raising a substantial amount of money for local charities, we're going to do just that."

[Ann]

M17 is an example of a so called champagne flow nebula, where the incredible outflows from the newborn O-type stars create a tremendous wind that has broken through the nebula, flowing out of it like champagne.
Ann

Could you help me see what you're talking about by giving some pointers of where, in the nebula to find one or more of the O-type stars?

You can't see them visually, because they are hidden inside the nebula.

Wikipedia wrote:
The Omega Nebula 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.[3] The total mass of the Omega Nebula is an estimated 800 solar masses.[4]

It is considered one of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions of our galaxy.[3] Its local geometry is similar to the Orion Nebula except that it is viewed edge-on rather than face-on.[5]

The open cluster NGC 6618 lies embedded in the nebulosity and causes the gases of the nebula to shine due to radiation from these hot, young stars; however, the actual number of stars in the nebula is much higher - up to 800, 100 of spectral type earlier than B9, and 9 of spectral type O, plus over a thousand stars in formation on its outer regions.[3] It is also one of the youngest clusters known, with an age of just 1 million years.[6]

The luminous blue variable HD 168607, located in the south-east part of the Omega nebula, is generally assumed to be associated with it; its close neighbor, the blue hypergiant HD 168625, may be too.

So the cluster NGC 6618 inside M17 contains 9 O-type stars, which is a lot. The Trapezium Cluster in the Orion Nebula contains no more than four, or so I think anyway.

Here you can read about (and see) another champagne flow nebula, Gum 19.

Ann

[Ann]

What's this Messier 17 nonsense? Everyone knows Messier wore No. 11 when he played for the Oilers, Rangers and Canucks! Duh.
What? This isn't about Mark Messier?
Never mind.

I hate the fact that you can't just search for a Messier object by googling "Messier" or "M" plus the appropriate number without risking being sent to a page about some sporting nonsense or some other truly strange stuff. The same goes for NGC objects. Nowadays, when I google, I always write, for example, "M43 nebula".

Ann

[BMAONE23]

A lot of military hardware too

[Cousin Ricky]

What's this Messier 17 nonsense? Everyone knows Messier wore No. 11 when he played for the Oilers, Rangers and Canucks! Duh. What? This isn't about Mark Messier?

On Tuesday, February 27th, Mark Messier's #11 banner will rise to the top of Rexall Place, to take its place alongside a number of other Oilers greats. In addition to the jersey retirement ceremony, prior to the Oilers sold-out game versus the Phoenix Coyotes, a number of other events will be scheduled to commemorate Mark Messier's stellar career.



"I was born and raised in Edmonton, and spent the first twelve years of my NHL career playing for the Oilers. Having my number raised to the rafters of Rexall Place, where we accomplished so much as a team, and I made so many lifelong friends, is truly an honour," said Mark Messier. "For me, the celebration is really about my teammates, the coaches, the fans, and the people of Edmonton that made my days with the Oilers so special. So, as part of the celebration, it was important for me to be able to give something backoto the fans and the community that helped me become the player and the person I am today. By raising a substantial amount of money for local charities, we're going to do just that."

Oh, he's a hockey player! No wonder I had no freakin' idea what Pucknut was talking about.

Mark Messier now becomes the 4th hockey player whose name I have ever learned. Ever. And there's no guarantee that I'll remember his first name tomorrow.

[Beyond]

Oh, he's a hockey player! No wonder I had no freakin' idea what Pucknut was talking about.

Mark Messier now becomes the 4th hockey player whose name I have ever learned. Ever. And there's no guarantee that I'll remember his first name tomorrow.

4 ?? You're one ahead of me. Besides Mark, i only remember Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretsky, IF i spelled it right. Ah, "Pucknut", big hockey fan. I just got it and it's 1:00 am! A time when a lot of people are probably out looking through a tube at a mess of Messier's scattered about the great galaxy rink in the sky.

[Cousin Ricky]

Oh, he's a hockey player! No wonder I had no freakin' idea what Pucknut was talking about.

Mark Messier now becomes the 4th hockey player whose name I have ever learned. Ever. And there's no guarantee that I'll remember his first name tomorrow.

4 ?? You're one ahead of me. Besides Mark, i only remember Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretsky, IF i spelled it right. Ah, "Pucknut", big hockey fan. I just got it and it's 1:00 am! A time when a lot of people are probably out looking through a tube at a mess of Messier's scattered about the great galaxy rink in the sky.

Cam Neely is the other one. I'm approximately 98% sure I spelled that wrong.

I definitely saw M45 and M27 tonight, and probably also M103, although it was difficult to be sure with the Moon out. Between the Moon, the cloud cover, and the dewed-up optics, Messiers were slim pickings tonight.

[starsurfer]

A lot of military hardware too

Don't forget motorways in the UK!