Starship Asterisk*

The Lagoon Nebula in Stars Dust and Gas

Explanation: The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius. Many bright stars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula only several million years ago. The greater nebula, also known as M8 and NGC 6523, is named "Lagoon" for the band of dust seen to the left of the open cluster's center. A bright knot of gas and dust in the nebula's center is known as the Hourglass Nebula. The featured picture is a newly processed panorama of M8, capturing five times the diameter of the Moon. Star formation continues in the Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many globules that exist there.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

It looks like someone has been dumping stuff in the Lagoon. That pinky/orangey/reddish stuff looks like lipstick.

The cosmic Lagoon is always a stunning sight, and it looks very good indeed in this picture.

Ann

Just to the RIGHT of the Lagoon...is a PEACOCK....looking left at the Lagoon....the tail sweeps back...has a long neck...etc...

This is an AWESOME wide shot image....superb!

:---[===] *

the whole thing looks like a ghostly clown face as well...

:---[===] *

The small blue reflection nebula at the bottom of the image is IC 4678, a closeup by Adam Block.

Also I wonder if any Herbig Haro objects have been found in the Lagoon Nebula?

The greater nebula, also known as M8 and NGC 6523, is named "Lagoon" for the band of dust seen to the left of the open cluster's center.

The band of dust appears above the cluster in this image (not to the left of it), correct?

You're all wrong - it looks like an ulcer. Bad choice of colors.

jhearn wrote:You're all wrong - it looks like an ulcer. Bad choice of colors.

Don't Be a Dick day may have come and gone this year already, but nice people like jhearn are here to give us good examples of being a dick so that we can avoid being one 365 days a year. See? Don't be like jhearn.

WOW! Wow because of today's awesome APOD and wow because of the whining and nasty name calling.

quigley wrote:WOW! Wow because of today's awesome APOD and wow because of the whining and nasty name calling.

What? Haven't ever heard of Wil Wheaton University? Attend today and earn your degree. It's free and available on YouTube. Phil Plait also gave a good talk as the mantra flowed out from the sphere of gaming and into the rest of the world.

Wow!

Well, alright, then.