The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, NGC 6523, Sharpless 25, RCW 146, and Gum 72) is a giant emission nebula with an H II region located in the constellation Sagittarius. Discovered by Giovanni Hodierna in 1654, it is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes (the other being the Orion Nebula).

Located approximately 4,000–6,000 light-years from Earth, the nebula spans 110 by 50 light-years (appearing as 90' by 40' in Earth's sky). While appearing pink in long-exposure photographs, it typically appears gray when viewed through binoculars or telescopes due to the human eye's limited color sensitivity in low-light conditions. The nebula contains the young open cluster NGC 6530 within its structure.

The Lagoon Nebula features several distinctive structures, including:

Multiple Bok globules cataloged by E. E. Barnard (B88, B89, and B296)
A funnel-shaped structure formed by ultraviolet radiation from a hot O-type star
The centrally-located Hourglass Nebula (named by John Herschel), distinct from the Engraved Hourglass Nebula in Musca

Observations in 2006 revealed four Herbig–Haro objects within the Hourglass structure, providing direct evidence of ongoing star formation through accretion processes.

(Info courtesy of Wikipedia)


Telescope: William Optics FLT132

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM/P

Filter Wheel: ZWO & Position Filter Wheel

Filters: QHY 36mm unmounted L R G B, Baader 36mm unmounted HA OIII SII

Guidng: ZWO OAG-L

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120 Mini

Mount: Losmandy G11 running EQStarPro

Mount Control: EQASCOM

Focusing: SharpSky Pro and Sequence Generator Pro 4 (automated)

Light Box by Exfso

Capture Software: Sequence Generator Pro 4

Guiding Software: PHD2

Calibration and Stacking Software: PixInsight

Processing Software: PixInsight

Number and Type of Data Frames:

Per Panel (2 Panel Mosaic)

L=140X60sec, R=50x120sec, G=50x120sec,
B=50x120sec

Ha= xsec, SII= xsec, OIII= xsec

Binning: 1x1

Total Image Time: 14.67 hrs

Location: Lockleys Observatory B, Tanunda, Sth Australia