Omega / Swan Nebula
RA 18h 21m · Dec -16° 08′
5′

A bright, massive star-forming region whose characteristic swan-neck shape is unmistakable. One of the highest surface-brightness nebulae in the sky; exceptional narrowband detail in the dense bar of emission.

Emission nebula

Omega / Swan Nebula

M 17 · Sagittarius
These photons are ~5,500 years old
LPBroadband light-pollution filter. Suppresses the sodium and mercury glow of streetlights while passing the main nebula emission lines and natural star colours.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, the next night
  1. 1 14/06/2026 9m (54 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
  2. 2 15/06/2026 9m (54 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
14/06/2026 15/06/2026 The next night
Date
14/06/2026
Location
35.5307° N, 23.8104° E
Integration
9m (54 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
45m over 2 nights
Moon
🌘Waning crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
18h 21m 05.7s
Centre Dec
−16° 08′ 04″
Field
42.7′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
1.19″/px
Orientation
146.0° E of N
Hemisphere
Southern
Also in this frame
M 17M17IC 4707IC 4706

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
-16°50′-16°40′-16°30′-16°20′-16°10′-16°-15°50′-15°40′-15°30′18h19m18h19m18h20m18h21m18h21m18h22m18h23m18h23mM 17IC 4707IC 4706NE42.7′ x 76.0′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 18 21 05.7 -16 08 04. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Κρήτη (Crete), Greece
35.5307° N, 23.8104° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 17?
M 17 is an emission nebula.
Which constellation is M 17 in?
M 17 lies in the constellation Sagittarius.
How far away is M 17?
The light in this image left M 17 roughly ~5,500 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 17?
M 17 sits at right ascension 18h 21m 06s and declination −16° 08′ 04″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 17?
M 17 rides highest in the evening sky around June, reaching about 38° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains IC 4707 and IC 4706.
What equipment was used to photograph M 17?
This image of M 17 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 17 represents 9m (54 × 10s) + 9m (54 x 10s) of total integration time.

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