Omega Nebula or Swan Nebula
M17
👁️ Naked-eye
📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.
Object
- Type (NASA)
- Emission Nebula
- Distance from Earth
- 5,500 light-years
- Apparent magnitude
- 6 mag
- Apparent size
- 46 ′
- NASA description
- Messier 17 is better known as the Omega Nebula or Swan Nebula.
Source:NASA Hubble (Messier/Caldwell catalogs) · checked 2026-11-02 ↗NASA HEASARC (Goddard Space Flight Center) · checked 2026-11-02 ↗
Related
Constellation
In everyday life
- Light from this object takes about 5,500 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left 5,500 years ago (official distance ÷ speed of light).
- At magnitude 6 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
- It spans about 46′ of sky — about the same as the full Moon's 31′.