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Swirls in the Swan

Rob Lyons from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Messier 17 — also known as the Swan Nebula or the Omega Nebula — is one of the largest star-forming regions in our galaxy, filled with gas and dust. This image comprises 45 hours of exposure taken with two 8-inch scopes — one with Hubble-palette filters and another with dual-band Hα/OIII and SII/OIII filters.