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Lagoon Nebula

Coordinates: Sky map 18h 03m 37s, −24° 23′ 12″
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Lagoon Nebula
Emission nebula
H II region
M8, the Lagoon Nebula
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension18h 03m 37s[1]
Declination−24° 23′ 12″[1]
Distance4,100[2] ly   (1,250 pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)4.6[3]
Apparent dimensions (V)90 × 40 arcmins[3]
ConstellationSagittarius
Physical characteristics
Radius55 × 20 ly
DesignationsSharpless 25, RCW 146, Gum 72
M8 contains:
    NGC 6523, NGC 6530,[1]
    Hourglass nebula[4]
See also: Lists of nebulae

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, NGC 6523, Sharpless 25, RCW 146, and Gum 72) is a giant emission nebula with an H II region located in the constellation Sagittarius. Discovered by Giovanni Hodierna in 1654, it is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes[5][6] (the other being the Orion Nebula).

Characteristics

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Located approximately 4,000–6,000 light-years from Earth, the nebula spans 110 by 50 light-years (appearing as 90' by 40' in Earth's sky). While appearing pink in long-exposure photographs, it typically appears gray when viewed through binoculars or telescopes due to the human eye's limited color sensitivity in low-light conditions. The nebula contains the young open cluster NGC 6530 within its structure.[7]

The Lagoon Nebula features several distinctive structures, including:

Observations in 2006 revealed four Herbig–Haro objects within the Hourglass structure, providing direct evidence of ongoing star formation through accretion processes.[2]

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  • Lagoon Nebula in HaRGB
    Lagoon Nebula in HaRGB
  • Lagoon Nebula in SHO by amateur astronomer Buzz Jumaah from Auckland, New Zealand
    Lagoon Nebula in SHO by amateur astronomer Buzz Jumaah from Auckland, New Zealand
  • False color (SHO without green reduction) close up from Madison, Wisconsin, USA
    False color (SHO without green reduction) close up from Madison, Wisconsin, USA
  • The Lagoon Nebula as imaged by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in very high-resolution, taken on May 28, 2025[8][a]
    The Lagoon Nebula as imaged by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in very high-resolution, taken on May 28, 2025[8][a]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The bluish-pink nebula on the upper right is the Trifid Nebula.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "M 8". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
  2. ^ a b Arias, J. I.; Barbá, R. H.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Morrell, N. I.; Rubio, M. (2006). "The infrared Hourglass cluster in M8". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 366 (3): 739–757. arXiv:astro-ph/0506552. Bibcode:2006MNRAS.366..739A. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09829.x. S2CID 13907667.
  3. ^ a b Stoyan, Ronald (2008). Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky. Cambridge University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-521-89554-5.
  4. ^ "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for Hourglass Nebula. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  5. ^ Vowler, Faith; Bolles, Dana (12 September 2024). "Messier 8". NASA Science. Retrieved 17 March 2025. M8 was discovered in 1654{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ Kronberg, Guy McArthur, Hartmut Frommert, Christine. "Messier Object 8". messier.seds.org. Retrieved 11 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ N. F. H. Tothill; Marc Gagné; B. Stecklum; M. A. Kenworthy (2008). "The Lagoon Nebula and its Vicinity". In Bo Reipurth (ed.). Handbook of Star-Forming Regions: Volume 2 The Southern Sky. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-58381-671-4.
  8. ^ "Trifid and Lagoon (Image)". NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
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