DEEP SPACE OBJECT
THE LAGOON NEBULA | THE TRIFID NEBULA
- deep space object RGBHOO, 250mm
- Constellation Sagittarius
- Emission/Reflection Nebula

Old data from 2021/2022 reprocessed with current knowledge of image processing. Cropped version, RGB combined with DuoNB, stars in RGB.
Originally taken as a 4-part mosaic with generous overlap, I cropped all 4 panel shots in the center here, with a total exposure time of a good 23 hours, taken directly from the city at Bortle 7 sky. When I get the chance, I'll also work on the mosaic, the same image, only with a significantly expanded environment :-)

The Lagoon Nebula (also called Messier 8 or NGC6523) is a structure of emission and reflection nebulae with a magnitude of 6.0 mag and an angular extent The true extent of the entire nebula complex reaches about 160x60x100 light years at a presumed distance of about 5000 light years. M8 is the second brightest gas nebula visible in Central Europe and an easy-to-find binocular object. The Lagoon Nebula is located near the galactic center of the Milky Way. A large number of dust clouds and dark nebulae can be seen in this region. This is an active star-forming region. The intensified UV radiation from the surrounding stars illuminates the hydrogen in the gas cloud, and the brightest nebula region is also known as the “Hourglass Nebula”. The hottest stars are named Sagittari & Herschel 36.

Other objects worth seeing in this image are the small “Trifid Nebula” (M20) to the right of the image, the “Chinese Dragon Nebula” (NGC6559), the “Starfish” globular cluster (NGC6544) below to the left, and a globular cluster called “Webb's Cross” in the top center.

The entire image shows the nebulae embedded in the middle of the Milky Way band, with an almost unimaginable number of stars and galaxies. The orange-brown mass in the left outer half of the image does not show a nebula, but thousands and thousands of stars - each point of light is a star :-)

Optics | Whiliam Optics RedCat51 f/4.9
Camera | Canon EOS-R amod ISO800
Filter | Astronomik UVIRCut LP2 Clipin
Filter | STC Astro DuoNB Clipin
Mount | SkyWatcher AZEQ6 GT Pro
Lights | 203x RGB each 180s Bin 1x1
Lights | 39x DNB each 1200s Bin 1x1
Guiding| PHD2 & ZWO-ASI120 Mono
Cal | Bias, Darks, Flats
Loc | balcony observatory, Tulln
Date | 2021-06-29 to 2022-08-05

Image processing:
Mainly Pixinsight, Photoshop, Lightroom, GraXpert & Denoise, BTX Blur Terminator, Star X Terminator