M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid) (Charles Bonafilia)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Sagittarius (Sgr) · Contains: 7 Sgr · 9 Sgr · B296 · B85 · B88 · B89 · Lagoon Nebula · M 20 · M 8 · NGC 6514 · NGC 6523 · NGC 6526 · NGC 6530 · NGC 6546 · Sh2-25 · Sh2-28 · Sh2-30 · The star 7Sgr · The star 9Sgr · Trifid Nebula

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M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

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M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

Located in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), this stunning space wallpaper reveals two giant stellar nursery clouds of glowing interstellar gas; also known as the Lagoon (M8) and Trifid Nebulae (M20).

Although “lagoon” definitely suits the beauty of this object, “lagoon” does suggest tranquility and there is nothing placid about the high-energy radiation causing these intricate clouds to glow. The massive stars hiding within the heart of the nebula give off enormous amounts of ultraviolet radiation, ionizing the gas and causing it to shine colorfully, as well as sculpting the surrounding nebula into strange shapes. The result is an object around four to five thousand light-years away which, on a clear night, is faintly visible to the naked eye.

The Trifid Nebula, aptly named for the three distinct characteristics (dark, reflection, emission) can be found about 2 degrees to the northwest of the larger and brighter Lagoon Nebula. The Trifid is a popular target for amateur astronomers as it is quite bright, even when seen through a small telescope. It has an apparent magnitude of 6.3 and lies at approx. 5,200 light years from Earth. M20 has a linear diameter of over 40 light years and is only 300,000 years old.

This was shot over several months due to cloud cover and prior commitments. Glad it's finally done.

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	4753503
PixInsight job	R4X8ZFKXBUXUNDERYLR14P84FMPMGH4E
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

RA (center)	18h04m22s.69
RA (top/left)	18h08m08s.10
RA (top/right)	18h00m53s.74
RA (bottom/right)	18h00m33s.64
RA (bottom/left)	18h07m54s.12

Dec (center)	-23°48′27″.5
Dec (top/left)	-22°44′19″.2
Dec (top/right)	-22°41′22″.7
Dec (bottom/right)	-24°52′00″.6
Dec (bottom/left)	-24°54′53″.3

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M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

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M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

M8 (Lagoon) and M20 (Trifid)

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