M8 the Lagoon Nebula
Image information:
| Date: | 06/14/2013 |
| Equipment: | QSI583wsg with internal filter wheel using 5nm Astrodon Ha filter and Astrodon E series Gen II RGB filter set through AT65EDQ telescope on Losmandy GM8 mount. |
| Image type: | Ha(Ha+R)GB |
| Exposure time: | 14X8min Ha binned 1X1, RG&B 14X6min each binned 1X1 |
| Comment: | A difficult object for me, since it never rises more than 20 degrees above the horizon on my location. |
Object information:
|
Object designations: |
M8, NGC6523, the Lagoon Nebula |
|
Object type: |
Diffuse emission nebular |
|
Object size: |
90' X 40' |
| Constellation: | Sagittarius |
|
Comment: |
The Lagoon Nebula is a giant cloud of interstellar matter in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is one of the most active star forming regions of the sky. Under good conditions M8 is visible to the naked eye. Remarkable shapes of gas and dust in the Lagoon are result of extreme stellar winds and intense starlight of energetic young stars embedded in the nebula. Open star cluster, NGC6530, is visible in the middle of the nebula. It is a cluster of young, hot, blue stars, probably only a few million years old. In the nebula there are also several dark "Bok globules" visible. "Bok globules" are areas of condensing gas and dust on their way to becoming first "protostars", and then finally proper young stars. M8 is some 5000 ly distant from us, and it lays roughly in the direction of the galactic center. Its real dimensions are 140 ly X 60 ly. |
Related images:
|
List of related images: |
None |