The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, and as NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as a H II region.

The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. A fragile star cluster appears superimposed on it.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Konus Super 120/1000
Imaging cameras: Praktica MTL-5
Mounts: Konus EQ3.2
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Konus Vista 80/400
Software: Corel Paint Shop Pro x2, aurigaimaging Registar 1.0
Dates: July 31, 2008
Locations: Albaneta – Pollino
Frames: 6×1200″
Integration: 2.0 hours

Author: Giuseppe Donatiello
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 06 July 2014