Lagoon Nebula that is also known as Messier 8 or M8 is one the central part of our galaxy as part of the Sagittarius constellation and is classified as an emission nebula and is an HII region. It is a vast cloud made up of interstellar gas that is capable of forming stars. M8 is also known as RCW 146, NGC 6523, GUM 72, and Sharpless 25 in terms of classification.
Giovanni Battista Hodierna was an Italian astronomer who discovered the Lagoon Nebula in 1654 and realized that this was not a star or even a comet later on it was added to the catalog by Charles Messier in order to distinguish it from other space objects like comets. It is one of only two nebulas that are visible to the naked eye through a binocular and only from areas that are on the North West part of the earth.
About Lagoon Nebula
Messier 8 is around 5200 lightyears from our planet and also includes an open star cluster NGC 6530 inside which glows at a magnitude of 6 which is why the whole nebula is visible with our eyes or through a telescope in the sky.
Messier 8 is essentially an interstellar cloud that is made up of hydrogen gas but looks great and is a wonderful subject of astrophotography. If you look at the nebula closely you will find that there is a dark lane that passes in the middle of the nebula which gives it the name and the outside parts of the Nebula shine very brightly giving it the look of a lagoon.
When to See Lagoon Nebula
On the Northern hemisphere of the earth, the best time to observe and photograph this nebula is during the summer months of June, July, and August when it is most visible with August being the absolute best. You only see this on nights that are dark and clear.
How Does M8 Look
Like most other nebula when photographed it looks pink but when you look at it through the naked eye you will see it looking gray in color. Lagoon nebula also contains dark clouds of protostellar materials that are also called bok globules and are classified as B88 , B296, and B89.
Why is M8 called Lagoon Nebula
M8 is called Lagoon Nebula because of the dark band that goes through its center while the brighter parts on the outside give it a look of a lagoon.
Messier 8 also contains at its center an hourglass nebula which is a structure in the middle that was photographed and provided evidence for this nebula having the ability to form stars.
Messier 8 also has NGC 6530 a star cluster inside it which gives out huge amounts of ultraviolet rays which keep on ionizing the gas and help provide a glow and shine.
Locating Lagoon Nebula
If you are trying to locate this Lagoon nebula in the sky at night first find the teapot asterism in the constellation of Sagittarius and then look just a few degrees to the right and you will find M8. When you are looking at Lagoon Nebula you are looking at what is the central part of our galaxy towards the densest part of the milky way in an area that is filled with bright stars, nebulas, and other space elements.
Size of Lagoon Nebula
Lagoon Nebula has a size of 110 by 50 light years in terms of area while in the sky when seeing it from Earth it spans 90 by 40 arcmins. The apparent Magnitude of the Lagoon Nebula is 4.6 which is the way the brightness of a star is measured when seen from Earth with lower the number the brighter it is when seen by the naked eye.
Inside Lagoon Nebula
Lagoon Nebula works as a nursery for stars as inside it has its own cluster NGC 6530 where all the gases from the nebula go when they contract until it becomes very dense and then there is a nuclear fusion reaction that takes place which causes a star to be formed. The energy released by this reaction causes the brightness of the Lagoon Nebula.
Why does Messier 8 have a Red Glow?
Messier 8 is also called an emission nebula because it is made of ionized hydrogen gas and as the energy that is lost by the dying stars passes through this nebula it lights up providing a glow in this case it shows up as red glow as the energy that is ionizing is low in strength.
Why does Messier 8 have Dark Spots?
The Dark spots on Messier 8 are the densest region of the nebula which don’t allow the light to pass through and so they appear as dark spots this includes the dark line that passes through the nebula and gives it the lagoon shape. Messier 8 is also classified as an H II region which is because it is an interstellar region that has ionized hydrogen gas.
Is it possible Messier 8 will end
As the stars keep on using up the energy of Lagoon Nebula it is possible that someday Messier 8 will end and the process of forming stars will end with it but we cannot say this for sure. While we don’t know for sure if Messier 8 will end if it does so we know that stars created by it will also die and give out interstellar energy which will again end up restarting the cycle.