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This image is the third attempt on Messier 17. There are two previous versions (taken with a 20 inch reflector and a TOA 130 refractor) in this web site. The explanations that you can read in these pages are also valid for this page. This third attempt has been processed in two different color versions: natural color and a modified Hubble Palette. For each of them, you can see the starless and the normal version. The same has been done with a crop of the core of M17. This page shows the natural color version (with stars) as well as the starless core. The modified Hubble palette can be seen here.
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): Messier 17. M17. Omega Nebula. NGC 6618
Type: Emission Nebula
RA: 18h 20m 26s
Dec: -16º 10’ 36”
Constellation: Sagittarius
Size (arcmin): 11×11 arcmin
Magnitude: +6.0
Distance: 5,500 ly
Image
Date: 2025-06-23 to 2025-07-04
Location: Obstech, Río Hurtado, Chile
Size (arcmin): 27×27 arcmin
Telescope: 24” f/6.5 Reflector
Camera: Moravian C5A-100M (11760x8896pix)
Guiding: off-axis guider
Total exposure: 42h 30m (Ha: 17h 30m; OIII: 11h 30m; SII: 10h 30m; RGB: 3h)
Processing: CCDStack, PixInsight (one process) and Photoshop CC 2025