| Lagoon Nebula (M8; NGC 6523) |
| A luminous nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is a complex of ionized hydrogen, gas and dust with hot, recently formed stars. A star cluster, NGC 6530, lies near the centre of the nebula. The light from two naked-eye stars in the cluster, 7 and 9 Sagittarii, is responsible for ionizing the gas. The nebula is estimated to lie at a distance of 4,500 light years. |