|
Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis,
Christian Sasse
Explanation:
Ridges of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds
inhabit the
turbulent,
cosmic depths
of the Lagoon Nebula.
Also known as M8, The bright star forming region is about
5,000 light-years distant.
It makes for a popular stop on
telescopic tours of
the constellation Sagittarius toward the center
of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Dominated by the telltale red emission of ionized hydrogen atoms
recombining with stripped electrons, this
deep telescopic view
of the Lagoon's central reaches is about 40 light-years across.
The bright hourglass shape
near the center
of the frame is gas ionized and sculpted by energetic radiation
and extreme stellar winds from a
massive young star.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: M 8 - Lagoon Nebula
Publications with words: M 8 - Lagoon Nebula
See also: