Star Factory Messier 17
By NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
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.
