Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, NGC 6523, Sharpless 25, RCW 146, and Gum 72) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as an H II region.
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| H II region | |
M8, the Lagoon Nebula | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 18h 03m 37s |
| Declination | −24° 23′ 12″ |
| Distance | 4,100 ly (1,250 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 4.6 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 90 × 40 arcmins |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 55 × 20 ly |
| Designations | Sharpless 25, RCW 146, Gum 72 M8 contains: NGC 6523, NGC 6530, Hourglass nebula |
The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct cloud-like patch with a definite core. Within the nebula is the open cluster NGC 6530.
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