Lagoon Nebula

Photograph information

Telescope : LX10 at F6.3

Film:PJM 640

Exposure : 30min Manual guided 

Date : 7/25/98

Location : Greece Parnasos mount

Object Information:

M8 (NGC 6523) is a marvelous diffuse nebula known as the "Lagoon Nebula". It is located in the constellation Sagittarius twenty-five arc minutes west of lambda Sgr and one degree north. Its distance estimated about 5000 light years away.

This famous Nebula is probably the best of the diffuse nebula and one of the finest in the sky.  It has a luminous part produced by a complex of ionized hydrogen, gas and dust with hot, recently formed stars. 

Binoculars and small telescopes reveal an open cluster within that nebula, NGC 6530. This young cluster is contained in the eastern part of the nebula and is nicely contrasted against the nebula. The light from two naked-eye stars in the cluster, 7 and 9 Sagittarii, is responsible for ionizing the gas.

The Lagoon Nebula and nebulae in other galaxies are sites where new stars are being born from dusty molecular clouds.  These regions are the "space laboratories" for the astronomers to study how stars form and the interactions between the winds from stars and the gas nearby. 

 The Lagoon Nebula , with the possible exception of the Great Orion Nebula (M-42), is probably the finest cluster and nebula combination in the heavens. While easily spotted with the eye, there is a wealth of details that can only be brought out with at least a medium sized scopes. Many dark regions can be seen in looping patterns which are highlighted by the brighter regions. The color and the internal structures can only seen on photographs. 

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