Lagoon Nebula (M8)

Object Type: Emission Nebula
Top 2 images - AP 5" Refractor, 81 min; Bottom image - Orion 80mm APO, 90 min.

The Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8, NGC 6523) is a giant star-forming emission nebula (H II region) in Sagittarius, about 4,000-5,000 light-years away. Discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1747, it is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. A dark, lagoon-like dust lane crosses its bright core, and the young open cluster NGC 6530 is superimposed on it. Its glowing gas is energized by hot young stars forming within.