Lagoon Nebula

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

A Dictionary of Astronomy

Lagoon Nebula

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Â© A Dictionary of Astronomy 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Lagoon Nebula The diffuse nebula M8 in Sagittarius, also known as NGC 6523. It is about 1½° long and ½° wide. The Lagoon Nebula gets its name from a dark lane that divides it in two. The brightest part of the nebula is called the Hourglass. The Lagoon Nebula contains the 5th-magnitude star cluster NGC 6530. The main illumination of the nebula comes not from this cluster but from the 6th-magnitude blue supergiant 9 Sagittarii. The Lagoon Nebula lies 5000 l.y. away.

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Lagoon Nebula

Lagoon Nebula bright, diffuse nebula in the southern constellation Sagittarius; cataloged as M8 or NGC 6526. It is visible to the naked eye and has an angular area larger than that of the full moon. The central parts are extremely bright, and some stars can be seen embedded in the nebulosity. Because of the nebula's large size, light from its stars cannot illuminate all of the associated interstellar gas and dust. Thus, parts of it appear blacker than the surrounding sky.

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