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Credit & Copyright: John Nemcik
Explanation:
The majestic
Lagoon Nebula
is filled with hot gas and the home for many young stars.
Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the
Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that
it can be
seen without a
telescope toward the
constellation of the
Archer
(Sagittarius).
Many bright stars are visible from
NGC 6530, an
open cluster that
formed in the nebula only several million years ago.
The greater nebula, also known as
M8 and NGC 6523,
is named "Lagoon" for the band of dust seen to the
right of the open cluster's center.
The featured image was taken in the light emitted by
Hydrogen (shown in brown),
Sulfur (red), and
Oxygen (blue)
and displayed in
enhanced color.
The featured picture is a newly processed panorama of
M8, capturing twice the diameter of the Full Moon.
Star formation continues in the
Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many
globules that exist there.
AAS Conventioneers:
APOD Town Meeting Wednesday
at 2:15 pm
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 8 - Lagoon Nebula - dust
Publications with words: M 8 - Lagoon Nebula - dust
See also: