Known more commonly as the Lagoon Nebula, M8 is a beautiful
cloud of gas illuminated by a 5.9 magnitude star inside. The
nebula is about 150 light-years in diameter and lies about 5,200
light-years from Earth. M8 is a stellar nursery where many new
stars are being formed from the great clouds of gas. With a
visual magnitude of 6, this nebula can be easily seen in the
constellation of Sagittarius with the naked eye on a dark, clear
night. A telescope will reveal some of the more complex patterns
of bright and dark areas within the nebula.
