Strongly Celestial

Looking outward; looking backward in time...

M81PSStack05162012v3

About | Launchpad | Messier Table

M8 - Lagoon Nebula

History / Fun Facts

M8 is a star forming emission nebula which was first discovered in 1747 by Guillaume Le Gentil. It is about 5,000 light years from Earth and spans an area of approximately 110 light years by 50 light years

Date Taken: 5/30/2011

Equipment:
Orion Mak-Cassegrain 180mm
Orion StarShoot IV Solar System imager
Registax 6 stacking of .avi file

Processing / Comments
Shortly after getting my Mak-Cass telescope, Saturn began its nightly parade in the sky at a conveniently early hour. It quickly became a favorite target, as it is bright and easy to find, thus provided ample opportunity for learning how to use the telescope and how to image. In fact, I visited Saturn so often, my kids actually said: "Do we have to look at Saturn again???". This image is the best I could do at that time, given my early learning curve with the equipment. Note the slight banding on the surface and the deliniation of the rings.