| Object Data |
| Description |
The Lagoon Nebula is visible to the unaided eye as
a small bright patch above the Sagittarius star cloud in the Milky Way.
Within the nebula, a very bright area of intense radiation can be seen
which is sometimes called the "Hourglass Nebula". Bok globules (small
dark knots of condensing protostellar clouds) are sprinkled throughout
the entire area. It is a beautiful sight in any size telescope.
|
| Constellation |
Sagittarius the Archer |
| Right Ascension |
18h 4m 22s |
| Declination |
-24° 19' 50" |
| Magnitude |
5.0 |
| Angular size |
45 arcminutes |
| Distance |
1.6 kiloparsecs (5,200 light years) |
| Radial Velocity |
Unknown |
| Image Data |
| Photographer |
Fred Lehman |
| Main Scope |
Meade 14" LX200GPS |
| Imaging Scope |
Celestron 5" SCT @ f/3.3 (415mm) |
| Guide Camera |
Not needed |
| Imaging Camera |
Starlight Xpress MX7C |
| Resolution |
780 x 580 @ 4.1 arcseconds per pixel |
| Exposure |
Twelve exposures of one minute each. Aligned, stacked,
and processed with AstroArt. |
| Date |
April 17, 2004 |
| Location |
Area 51 in Big Cypress National Preserve in central
South Florida. |
