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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
M8: An Open Cluster in the Lagoon
Explanation: The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas . The Lagoon Nebulae is so large and bright it can be seen without a telescope. Formed only several million years ago in the nebula is the open cluster known as NGC 6530, whose young stars show their high temperature by their blue glow. The nebula, also known as M 8 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 . Star formation continues in the the Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many globules that exist there.
| Date | January 27, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: The Electronic Universe Project |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |