Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Visible in the above recently released representative-color photograph of M17 by the New Technology Telescope are clouds so dark that they appear almost empty of near infrared light . As bright massive stars form, they produce intense and energetic light that slowly boils away the dark shroud. M17 's unusual appearance has garnered it such nicknames as the Omega Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula, and the Swan Nebula.
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