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Compass Image for Lagoon Nebula (Visible)
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.18:03:37.0
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-24:23:12.0
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Sagittarius
- DistanceDistanceThe 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.
- DimensionsDimensionsThe 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 DescriptionData 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) - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.WFC3/UVIS; WFC3/IR
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.12-18 February 2018
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F502N, F547M, F656N, F658N
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8)
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Emission Nebula
- Release DateApril 19, 2018
- Science ReleaseCelebrating 28 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope
- Credits
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: Blue: F502N Green: F656N Red: F658N Luminosity: F547M
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Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
