Lagoon_Full resolution_4719x3507_U_100
The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius.
The Lagoon Nebula, so called because of the dark gap (the lagoon) dividing the nebula in two, is estimated to be between 4,000–6,000 light-years away from the Earth. The Lagoon nebula is big, its size is approximately 110 by 50 light years; in other words, if the nebula started at Earth it would reach to the star Alkaid, which is the last star in the handle of the big Dipper. There is a lot to see in the Lagoon; the nebula contains several dark patches, known as Bok globules (dark nebulae or clouds of dark cosmic dust from which stars may form); there is an open star cluster (NGC6530) to the left of the ‘lagoon’; the Lagoon Nebula also contains at its centre a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula, which is just visible in this image in the bright centre just to the right of the ‘lagoon’.
Lagoon_Full resolution_4719x3507_U_100
The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius.
The Lagoon Nebula, so called because of the dark gap (the lagoon) dividing the nebula in two, is estimated to be between 4,000–6,000 light-years away from the Earth. The Lagoon nebula is big, its size is approximately 110 by 50 light years; in other words, if the nebula started at Earth it would reach to the star Alkaid, which is the last star in the handle of the big Dipper. There is a lot to see in the Lagoon; the nebula contains several dark patches, known as Bok globules (dark nebulae or clouds of dark cosmic dust from which stars may form); there is an open star cluster (NGC6530) to the left of the ‘lagoon’; the Lagoon Nebula also contains at its centre a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula, which is just visible in this image in the bright centre just to the right of the ‘lagoon’.