Chandra Release - August 14, 2003

Visual Description: M17

The image is a Chandra X-ray Observatory image of nebula M17, also known as the Horseshoe Nebula or the Omega Nebula.  The colors in the image are predominantly hot pink and purple, with some dark blue dots scattered throughout the image.  The Chandra image reveals hot gas flowing away from massive young stars in the center of the nebula. The gas temperatures range from 1.5 million degrees Celsius (2.7 million degrees Fahrenheit) to about 7 million degrees Celsius (13 million degrees F).  A group of massive young stars responsible for the activity in the nebula is located in a bulbous bright pink region near the center of the image. Chandra's resolving power enabled astronomers to separate the contribution from these and other stars in the nebula from the diffuse emission.