Region around M 16 and M 17 in the constellations Snake, Archer and Shield
This 3-frame mosaic shows the large gas nebulae and star forming regions M 16 and M 17 within their surrounding dark clouds. Here, we look exactly along the galactic equator, i.e. into the plane of our Milky Way, which consists of hundreds of millions of stars. There is no region with a "free" sky in the image. So we can only look up to a distance of a few thousand light years.
| Date: | 18.-20.09.2019 |
| Optics: | Canon EF 200 mm f/2.8L USM at f/4 |
| Focal Length: | 200 mm |
| Camera: | Fuji X-M1 |
| Exposure: | 3-frame mosaic, together 62 x 300 s |
| Location: | Chamaeleon Observatory, Onjala Lodge, Namibia |
| Processing: | DeepSkyStacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop |
| Diameter: | 100 light years (M 16) 50 light years (M 17) |
| Distance: | 5,700 light years (M 16) 5,500 light years (M 17) |
