Lagoon nebula (Messier 8) is located 4,100 light-years away in Sagittarius. This glowing cloud of gas and dust is a stellar nursery where new stars are born. At its heart lies the young star cluster NGC 6530, lighting up the nebula with intense UV radiation. You can even spot it with the naked eye under dark skies! The dark lanes you see? Those are dense Bok globules—potential stars in the making. A true gem of our Milky Way!
This image highlights the nebula’s bright core and the Hourglass Nebula, a chaotic region shaped by intense radiation from the massive star Herschel 36. The core shines around magnitude 6, but its intricate structure—glowing gas, shock fronts, and dark dust—is only revealed through deep narrowband imaging.
Captured using Celestron 9.25" EdgeHD, ASI2600MM Pro, Antlia 2.5nm SHO filters, and EQ6R Pro mount, with data processed in PixInsight.

Telescope: Celestron 9.25EdgeHD with 0.7 Reducer
Camera: ZWO 2600MM Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher 2600MM Pro
Dates: Jun-Jul 2025
Filters:
 - Antlia 2.5nm S,H,O
Acquisition:
 - Ha 5h52m
 - O3: 4h56m
 - S2: 7h47min
Total Integration: 18h35m