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Messier 17 in Sagittarius

M17 in Sagittarius (APO120 Ra).jpg

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This is Messier 17, aka the Swan, or Omega, or Checkmark Nebula in Sagittarius — it is a nebula of many names. It was catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764, and is one of the finest nebulas in the sky. It is accompanied by the open cluster NGC 6618. The cluster M18 is just cut off at bottom.

The long exposures and processing brings out more of the fainter surrounding nebulosity, obscuring the "swan" or "checkmark" shape that is obvious to the eye in a telescope.

Technical:
This is a stack of 8 x 4-minute exposures with the Askar APO120 refractor at f/5.6 with the 0.8x Reducer and the Canon Ra at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Taken from the Quailway Cottage in southeast Arizona in October 2024 with the field low in the southwest. On the AP400 mount, autoguided with the MGEN3.
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© Alan Dyer/AmazingSky.com
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6720x4480 / 22.9MB
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This is Messier 17, aka the Swan, or Omega, or Checkmark Nebula in Sagittarius — it is a nebula of many names. It was catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764, and is one of the finest nebulas in the sky. It is accompanied by the open cluster NGC 6618. The cluster M18 is just cut off at bottom. <br /> <br /> The long exposures and processing brings out more of the fainter surrounding nebulosity, obscuring the "swan" or "checkmark" shape that is obvious to the eye in a telescope. <br /> <br /> Technical:<br /> This is a stack of 8 x 4-minute exposures with the Askar APO120 refractor at f/5.6 with the 0.8x Reducer and the Canon Ra at ISO 800. No filter was employed here. Taken from the Quailway Cottage in southeast Arizona in October 2024 with the field low in the southwest. On the AP400 mount, autoguided with the MGEN3.