2MASS mosaic of the Omega Nebula (M17). The giant molecular cloud associated with M17 is one of the most luminous and active star-forming complexes in the Milky Way, and contains one of the youngest and richest stellar clusters in our galaxy. The Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) was a survey of the whole sky in three infrared wavebands around 2 micrometers. The observations for the survey were taken between 1997 and 2001, at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona for the Northern Hemisphere data and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile, for the southern hemisphere. The final data release for 2MASS occurred in 2003, and is served by the Infrared Science Archive.