Terry Robison
Messier 17 in Sagittarius
This star forming area is known by many names. Messier 17, The Swan Nebula, and the Omega Nebula are perhaps the best known names of this beautiful object. It is located near the plane of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius. Normally, this object appears in photos as a complex red structure. It is that red structure that signifies that hydrogen gas is present when images are presented in the more traditional RGB colour format.
This photo has been created using narrow band techniques. Three filters were used individually to capture three separate images. These images are then assigned to an individual colour channel, resulting in a false coloured image. I have used a SII filter to represent the Red channel of the image. An H-Alpha filter for the green, and finally an OIII filter for the blue channel. With each wavelength assigned to its respective channel, a false colour image can be created.
The contours within the image allow identification of the gases within the structures. It does add an element of pop from traditional imaging, and in many instances it can look pretty funky as well.
The image was taken from the city, in Melbourne, Australia. Narrow band imaging techniques help cut through the heavy light pollution, and works best on emission nebula like the image presented.
M17 is located about 5500 light years from earth, and is approximately 15 light years across. These structures have an abundant supply of raw materials to fuel the birth of new stars. The combined mass of the gasses within the nebula are estimated to have more than 30000 times the mass of our Sun.
The French comet hunter Charles Messier included this object in his famous astronomical catalogue in 1764 with the descriptive name of Messier 17.
Instruments used:
Telescope: ........... 10" Ritchey-Chrétien (RCOS)
Focal Length: ........ 2305.00 mm
Camera: .............. SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Pixel size: .......... 9.00 um
Mount: ............... Astro-Physics AP-900
Filters: ............. Baader Planetarium: H-Alpha 7 nm, SII 8.5 nm, OIII 8.5 nm
Location: Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Dates: June 2016
Imager: Terry Robison / Canada-Australia Imager
Messier 17 in Sagittarius
This star forming area is known by many names. Messier 17, The Swan Nebula, and the Omega Nebula are perhaps the best known names of this beautiful object. It is located near the plane of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius. Normally, this object appears in photos as a complex red structure. It is that red structure that signifies that hydrogen gas is present when images are presented in the more traditional RGB colour format.
This photo has been created using narrow band techniques. Three filters were used individually to capture three separate images. These images are then assigned to an individual colour channel, resulting in a false coloured image. I have used a SII filter to represent the Red channel of the image. An H-Alpha filter for the green, and finally an OIII filter for the blue channel. With each wavelength assigned to its respective channel, a false colour image can be created.
The contours within the image allow identification of the gases within the structures. It does add an element of pop from traditional imaging, and in many instances it can look pretty funky as well.
The image was taken from the city, in Melbourne, Australia. Narrow band imaging techniques help cut through the heavy light pollution, and works best on emission nebula like the image presented.
M17 is located about 5500 light years from earth, and is approximately 15 light years across. These structures have an abundant supply of raw materials to fuel the birth of new stars. The combined mass of the gasses within the nebula are estimated to have more than 30000 times the mass of our Sun.
The French comet hunter Charles Messier included this object in his famous astronomical catalogue in 1764 with the descriptive name of Messier 17.
Instruments used:
Telescope: ........... 10" Ritchey-Chrétien (RCOS)
Focal Length: ........ 2305.00 mm
Camera: .............. SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Pixel size: .......... 9.00 um
Mount: ............... Astro-Physics AP-900
Filters: ............. Baader Planetarium: H-Alpha 7 nm, SII 8.5 nm, OIII 8.5 nm
Location: Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Dates: June 2016
Imager: Terry Robison / Canada-Australia Imager