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Lagoon Nebula

Topic: Astronomy

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Lagoon Nebula
Emission nebula
H II region
The Lagoon Nebula as imaged by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in very high-resolution, taken on May 28, 2025[1][lower-alpha 1]
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension 18h 03m 37s[2]
Declination−24° 23′ 12″[2]
Distance4,100[3] ly   (1,250 pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)4.6[4]
Apparent dimensions (V)90 × 40 arcmins[4]
ConstellationSagittarius
Physical characteristics
Radius55 × 20 ly
DesignationsSharpless 25, RCW 146, Gum 72
M8 contains:
    NGC 6523, NGC 6530,[2]
    Hourglass nebula[5]
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[6][7] (the other being the Orion Nebula).

Characteristics

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.[8]

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.[3]

  • 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

See also

Notes

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

References

  1. ↑ "Trifid and Lagoon (Image)". NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. 2025. https://rubinobservatory.org/gallery/collections/first-look-gallery/n4kvj0cemd5pbdqgtjdgp2jg2t. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "M 8". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=M+8. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arias, J. I.; Barbá, R. H.; Maíz Apellániz, J. (2006). "The infrared Hourglass cluster in M8". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 366 (3): 739–757. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09829.x. Bibcode: 2006MNRAS.366..739A. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stoyan, Ronald (2008). Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky. Cambridge University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-521-89554-5. 
  5. ↑ "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for Hourglass Nebula. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad. 
  6. ↑ Vowler, Faith; Bolles, Dana (12 September 2024). "Messier 8" (in en). https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-8/. "M8 was discovered in 1654" 
  7. ↑ Kronberg, Guy McArthur, Hartmut Frommert, Christine. "Messier Object 8". http://www.messier.seds.org/m/m008.html. 
  8. ↑ N. F. H. Tothill; Marc Gagné; B. Stecklum; M. A. Kenworthy (2008). "The Lagoon Nebula and its Vicinity". in Bo Reipurth. Handbook of Star-Forming Regions: Volume 2 The Southern Sky. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-58381-671-4. 

Coordinates: Sky map 18h 03m 37s, −24° 23′ 12″



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