Click the images above for larger versions (66%)
| Catalogue and alternative designations | M8,
NGC 6523, Lagoon Nebula
|
| Type | Emission Nebula |
| Position | 18 03 37, -24 23 12 |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Camera and Telescope | STXL6303 and 36.8 cm Ritchey Chretien |
| Focal Ratio | F9 |
| Exposure Details | The top is a Hubble palette image (SII:Ha:OIII) with Hydrogen Alpha=120 minutes, Sulphur II= 420 minutes and Oxygen III=450 minutes. Astrodon series 2 3nm band pass filters were used. A bicolour image (HaOIIIOIII) with near natural colours is below. Short RGB image incorporated for the stars |
| Description | This well known emission nebula is easily visible with the naked eye under a dark sky and the nebulosity covers some 90' x 40' in total. The estimated distance is is 4000-6000 light years. The so called "hourglass nebula" is prominent at the top left |