Diffuse Nebula in Sagittarius
The Lagoon Nebula is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky, and one of the easiest to see with the naked eye. On summer evenings in the northern hemisphere, it can be seen as an oval patch above the spout of the Sagittarius "teapot."
The Lagoon gets its name from the dark rift that separates the two brightest sections of the nebula. The eastern portion of the nebula (left in this image) contains the open cluster NGC 6530, a group of about 100 stars.
The lower image shows a wider field of view that shows the outer regions of the Lagoon and includes Messier 17 (the Trifid Nebula) at the top of the frame.
| Magnitude | 4.6 |
| Apparent Size | 90' x 40' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 4,300 |
| Right Ascension | 18:03.8 |
| Declination | -24 23 |
| Field of View | 32' x 24' |
Upper Image: Exposure times of 33 minutes each of luminance, red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.5.
August 2021
Lower image: Mosaic of two panels, each from 32 exposures of 30 seconds each, taken with a Dwarf Mini telescope.
September 2026
