In the depths of the dark clouds of dust and molecular gas known as M17, stars continue to form. Visible in the above recently released representative-color photograph [ http://www.eso.org/…] of M17 [ http://www.seds.org…] by the New Technology Telescope [ http://www.ls.eso.o…] are clouds so dark that they appear almost empty of near infrared light [ http://www.ipac.cal…]. The darkness of these molecular clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] results from background starlight being absorbed by thick carbon-based smoke-sized dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. As bright massive stars form, they produce intense and energetic light that slowly boils away [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] the dark shroud. M17 [ http://adsabs.harva…]'s unusual appearance [ http://www.limber.o…] has garnered it such nicknames as the Omega Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula, and the Swan Nebula. M17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], visible with binoculars towards the constellation of Sagittarius [ http://www.astro.wi…], lies 5000 light-years [ http://www.howstuff…] away and spans 20 light-years across.
Explanation
In the depths of the dark clouds of dust and molecular gas known as M17, stars continue to form. Visible in the above recently released representative-color photograph [ http://www.eso.org/…] of M17 [ http://www.seds.org…] by the New Technology Telescope [ http://www.ls.eso.o…] are clouds so dark that they appear almost empty of near infrared light [ http://www.ipac.cal…]. The darkness of these molecular clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] results from background starlight being absorbed by thick carbon-based smoke-sized dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. As bright massive stars form, they produce intense and energetic light that slowly boils away [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] the dark shroud. M17 [ http://adsabs.harva…]'s unusual appearance [ http://www.limber.o…] has garnered it such nicknames as the Omega Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula, and the Swan Nebula. M17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], visible with binoculars towards the constellation of Sagittarius [ http://www.astro.wi…], lies 5000 light-years [ http://www.howstuff…] away and spans 20 light-years across.
