Lagoon Nebula
Emission nebula in Sagittarius / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, NGC 6523, Sharpless 25, RCW 146, and Gum 72) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and has an H II region.
Quick Facts Emission nebula, Observation data: J2000 epoch ...
Emission nebula | |
---|---|
H II region | |
Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
Right ascension | 18h 03m 37s[1] |
Declination | −24° 23′ 12″[1] |
Distance | 4,100[2] ly (1,250 pc) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 4.6[3] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 90 × 40 arcmins[3] |
Constellation | Sagittarius |
Physical characteristics | |
Radius | 55 × 20 ly |
Designations | Sharpless 25, RCW 146, Gum 72 M8 contains: NGC 6523, NGC 6530,[1] Hourglass nebula[4] |
See also: Lists of nebulae |
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The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654[5] and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct cloud-like patch with a definite core. Within the nebula is the open cluster NGC 6530.[6]