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Compass Image for Lagoon Nebula (Infrared)

Compass Image for Lagoon Nebula (Infrared)

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    18:03:37.0
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -24:23:12.0
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Sagittarius
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The nebula is located 4,000 light-years away from Earth.
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 3.5 arcmin across (about 4 light-years).

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The HST observations include those from program 15449 (M. Mutchler)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    12-18 February 2018
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F125W, F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Emission Nebula
  • Release Date
    April 19, 2018
  • Science Release
    Celebrating 28 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and STScI

Downloads

  • 1000 × 763
    png (1.27 MB)
  • Full Res, 2620 × 2000
    png (7.43 MB)
  • 2000 × 1526
    png (4.6 MB)
  • Full Res, 2620 × 2000
    tif (8.07 MB)
Compass Image for Lagoon Nebula (Infrared)
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Cyan: F125W Orange: F160W

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 14, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov