M8 - The Lagoon Nebula
Sat Jul 05 2025
M8 - The Lagoon Nebula Inspired by the new image released by the Vera C Rubin Observatory, I decided to try a nebula that I’ve never imaged before and I’m glad I did! There’s lots of nebulosity here and I love the presence of the dark Bok globules. This nebula is around 4000-6000 light years away from Earth and is around 110 x 50 light years in dimension.
About this object
- Type
- Nebula
- Constellation
- Sagittarius (the Archer)
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.8
- Apparent size
- 45.0′ × 30.0′
- Catalogue designations
- M 8, NGC 6523
The Lagoon Nebula is a nebula in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer). It shines at about magnitude 5.8 and spans roughly 45.0′ × 30.0′ on the sky.
Acquisition
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 33 × 3m (1h 39m)
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 28 × 3m (1h 24m)
- Total integration: 3h 3m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron CGEM II
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm, Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI174MM Mini
- Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.