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Credit & Copyright: Yuugi Kitahara
Explanation:
In the center of the
Lagoon Nebula one finds
glowing gas,
star clusters, and
dense knots of gas and dust
just now forming stars.
The young
open cluster of stars,
designated NGC 6523, can be seen in the center of the
above image.
These stars emit
energetic light that
ionizes the surrounding
hydrogen gas.
As this gas reacquires
electrons,
it emits red light.
The
Lagoon Nebula lies about 5000 light-years away and spans about 100 light-years across.
The
nebula occupies an area on the sky larger than a
full moon,
and can be seen even without binoculars
from a dark location towards the
constellation of
Sagittarius.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: nebula - M 8 - Lagoon Nebula
Publications with words: nebula - M 8 - Lagoon Nebula
See also: