Lagoon Nebula (M8) Position and Visibility Tonight

Where is Lagoon Nebula (M8) right now?

Lagoon Nebula (M8) is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Open the interactive guide to Lagoon Nebula (M8)’s position and path tonight

Lagoon Nebula (M8) tonight

Lagoon Nebula (M8) visibility on 2026-11-02

Lagoon Nebula (M8) Visible from sunset until before midnight

Lagoon Nebula (M8) rise and set timetable

	Time	Elevation
Moonset	09:16	22°
Lagoon Nebula (M8) transit	10:51	26°
Sunset	12:28	22°
Civil sunset	12:57	19°
Twilight start (−12°)	13:29	16°
Astronomical observing session begins	14:01	12°
Lagoon Nebula (M8) set	15:21
Moonrise, 48.5% illuminated	18:52	-38°
Astronomical observing session ends	00:30	-64°
Lagoon Nebula (M8) rise	06:17

Track Lagoon Nebula (M8) position throughout the night

← 2 November 2026 →

Time
Altitude
Azimuth

Shift the map to change the time and observe Lagoon Nebula (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

Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

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

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

Lagoon Nebula (M8) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Lagoon Nebula (M8)

Time	17:48
Latitude	39.9612
Longitude	-82.9988
Elevation	-26°
Azimuth	259°

Here you can see the current position of Lagoon Nebula (M8) on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

When Is Lagoon Nebula (M8) Visible Throughout the Year?

Lagoon Nebula (M8) will remain visible until December 4, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky.

Date	Tue, 3 November 2026
Astronomical observing session begins	14:00
Astronomical observing session ends	00:29
Astronomical observing duration	10h 29m
Rise	06:17
Set	15:17
Elevation at transit	26°
Transit time	10:47
Equatorial coordinates	RA: 18h 03m 41s", Dec: -24° 22' 48s
Magnitude	6
Constellation	Sagittarius

The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Lagoon Nebula (M8), including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when Lagoon Nebula (M8) is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Lagoon Nebula (M8)

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension	18h 03m 41s
Declination	-24° 22′ 49″
Magnitude	5.8
Constellation	Sagittarius
Elevation	-26.1°
Azimuth	259.1°

Data Credits

The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.

For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.

Observation Settings