Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula
Explanation:
Stars are battling gas and dust in the Lagoon Nebula but the photographers are winning. Also known as M8, this photogenic nebula [ http://www.turbinel…] is visible [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] even without binoculars towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wi…] of Sagittarius [ http://www.astro.wi…]. The energetic processes of star formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] create not only the colors but the chaos [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The red-glowing gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] results from high-energy starlight striking interstellar hydrogen [ http://en.wikipedia…] gas. The dark dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] filaments [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that lace M8 [ http://www.seds.org…] were created in the atmospheres of cool giant stars [ http://www.astro.ke…] and in the debris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] from supernovae [ http://imagine.gsfc…] explosions. This spectacular portion of the Lagoon Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] was created in scientifically-assig ned colors from light emitted in very specific colors by hydrogen [ http://periodic.lan…], silicon [ http://periodic.lan…], and oxygen [ http://periodic.lan…]. The light from M8 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] we see today left about 5000 years ago. Light takes about 50 years to cross this section of M8 [ http://www.seds.org…].
Credit and Copyright:
Michael Sherick [ mailto:michaelsheric k at yahoo.com ]
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_what:
LACE
facet_what:
Sagittarius
facet_what:
nebula
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap050803

The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula
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