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: Orion AstroView 6 EQ
Imaging cameras: Canon EOS T3i
Mounts: Orion EQ 3-2
Software: Luc Coiffier’s DeekSkyStacker (DSS), Photoshop CS6
Accessories: Orion EQ-3M Single Axis Drive
Resolution: 2685×3318
Dates: May 3, 2014
Frames: 141×30″
Integration: 1.2 hours
Avg. Moon age: 3.65 days
Avg. Moon phase: 14.35%
RA center: 271.087 degrees
DEC center: -24.319 degrees
Pixel scale: 1.181 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 84.738 degrees
Field radius: 0.700 degrees
Locations: Observatório Caseiro Ibituruna, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Author: Victor Brasil Sabbagh