Lagoon Nebula in Ha

This is a bright area of nebulosity located in the constillation Sagittarious, The Tea Pot. It is about 1.5 degrees south of M20. Known as The Lagoon Nebula (M8), it's obvious where this Nebula get's it's name-sake. The dark knots are known as Bok Globules which are dense proto-steller clouds that will eventually becaome many, many stars in the evolutionary life cycle.

The open cluster to the East of the center of the Nebula is NGC 6530.

The Lagoon Nebula is a beautiful sight in instruments as small as 50mm binoculars.

• Type: Emission Nebula
• Distance From Earth: 5,200 Light Years
• Exposure Length: 50 Min [(5) x 10 Min] Digitally Combined
• Binned 1x1
• Focal Length: 530mm @ f/3.3
• Filter: Astronomik 13Nm Bandpass Hydrogen Alpha
• Camera: SBIG ST2000XM CCD
• Chip Temperature: -35
• Guiding: Self Guided
• Guiding Error: < .5 pixles
• Film: N/A
• Instrument: Takahashi Epsilon 160 Hyperbolic Astrograph
• Date: 03MY03

Additional Photographic Notes: Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) is light emitted on the spectral line of about 656 nanometers from Ionized Hydrogen not visible to the human eye.