M8: The Lagoon Nebula

Emission Nebula M8 in Sagittarius

Image copyright: Andre Potgieter

We’ve featured the Lagoon nebula before, only a few months back, but this recent submission by Andre Potgieter is enough of a step up from the previous image that I’ve decided it’s worth showing off.  The Lagoon Nebula, the 8th entry in Charles Messier’s famous catalogue of deep sky objects, is a vast cloud of molecular hydrogen in the constellation Sagittarius.  It’s pink glow shines from molecules excited by intense ultraviolet radiation from the hot young stars, freshly formed within its depths.

Lagoon Nebula -M8

Severe coma spoiled what I thought to be fairly good data
86 x 300 sec ,ISO 400 ,Dark's & Flats +- 60
Exposure used 7.10 hours , deleted 3,45 hours LP related.