Swan (Omega) Nebula - Messier 17 - Sketch

Swan nebula sketch - M17

object details: "Swan Nebula" (Omega Nebula) - M 17 - Emission nebula.
size: 11'  magnitude: 6m  distance: 5kly  cosntellation: Sagittarius

Location and conditions: Negev desert (Nahal Barak), Israel, ~6.8 mag. sky.
Time and date: 6-7/05/2011 , 03:30.
Instrument: Orion 8" F/5 Newtonian. 13mm Vixen LVW eyepiece (77X). UHC filter.
Drawing details: Graphite pencil sketch on a white paper, made while observing with a telescope under red light. Processed in Photoshop. Observation by Michael Vlasov.

Notes:

Swan Nebula is a bright emission nebula in Sagittarius, and has a clearly defined shape of a swimming swan. The nebula can also be seen as a faint spot with naked eyes.
With a help of UHC filter (Orion Ultrablock) - a fuzzy, large, arc shaped nebulocity surrounds the "swan" from NE. At larger magnifications - several dark filaments can be spotted inside the bright inner part, as well as a tiny "crown" above the swan's "head". Note: The drawing isn't oriented with north upright.

Original drawing:

Swan nebula pencil sketch