by orin stepanek » Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:00 pm
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091006.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060825.html I like this version best
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090722.html
(The Lagoon Nebula from GigaGalaxy Zoom
Credit: ESO
Explanation: The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebulae is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius. Many bright stars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula only several million years ago. The greater nebula, also known as M8 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. The above picture is a newly released, digitally stitched panorama of M8 taken as part of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project by the Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The vista spans three times the diameter of the Moon, while the highest resolution image version occupies over 350 million pixels. Star formation continues in the Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many globules that exist there)
I never thought to look for the Lagoon on a clear night! Being three times the diameter of the moon I'll have to give it a try. 8)
Orin
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091006.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060825.html I like this version best
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090722.html
(The Lagoon Nebula from GigaGalaxy Zoom
Credit: ESO
Explanation: The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebulae is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius. Many bright stars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula only several million years ago. The greater nebula, also known as M8 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. The above picture is a newly released, digitally stitched panorama of M8 taken as part of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project by the Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The vista spans three times the diameter of the Moon, while the highest resolution image version occupies over 350 million pixels. Star formation continues in the Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many globules that exist there)
I never thought to look for the Lagoon on a clear night! Being three times the diameter of the moon I'll have to give it a try. 8)
Orin