AstronomyPicture of the Day—20181114

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.

2018 November 14

TheLagoon Nebula is Stars, Gas, and Dust

ImageCredit & Copyright: Nelson Ortega

Explanation:The majestic Lagoon Nebula is filled with hot gas and the home for many youngstars. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light yearsdistant, the Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that it can be seen without atelescope toward the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). Many brightstars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula onlyseveral 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 opencluster's center. The featured image was taken in three colors with details arebrought out by light emitted by Hydrogen. Star formation continues in theLagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many dark dust-laden globules that existthere.