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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M8

Lagoon Nebula (M8) Observation Details

M8

M8 Daily Motion


M8 will be visible until January, 1, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M8 Visibility Timetable on December 22

Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
M8 transit12:3226°
M8 set17:02
Astrosession begin18:48-18°
Moon Rise, 57% illuminated23:50-72°
Astrosession end06:13-18°
M8 rise07:58
Moon Set12:2426°

Track M8 Position Throughout the Night

← Sun, 22 December 2024 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M8 changing position in the night sky.

M8 - Lagoon Nebula

The Lagoon Nebula (M8) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1747 and included in Messier's catalog in 1764. The nebula is a region of active star formation.

M8 spans about 110 light-years across and is illuminated by the hot young stars it contains. The nebula is approximately 4,100 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.0, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies and easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

M8 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M8 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M8 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M8 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M8 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M8

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Object nameM8
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M8 coordinates18.06146, -24.38017
Center coordinates18.06146, -24.38017

M8 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M8

Time00:44
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M8 elevation-74°
M8 Azimuth-12°
Here you can see the current position of the M8 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M8's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M8

Time
DateMon, 23 December 2024
Twighlight start18:44
Twighlight end06:07
Twighlight duration11h 23m
Rise07:54
Set16:54
Elevation at transit26°
Transit time12:24
Equatorial coordinateRA: 18h 03m 41s", Dec: -24° 22' 48s
Magnitude6
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M8, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M8 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.