RA 18h 04m · Dec -24° 19′

5′

A large emission nebula and embedded open cluster, one of the few nebulae visible to the naked eye from dark sites. The central Hourglass region shows striking dust lanes and bright knots of ionised hydrogen — ideal for Hα imaging.

Emission nebula

Lagoon Nebula

M 8 · Sagittarius

These photons are ~4,100 years old

LPBroadband light-pollution filter. Suppresses the sodium and mercury glow of streetlights while passing the main nebula emission lines and natural star colours.

ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →

⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log

↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, the next night

1 14/06/2026 29m (174 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
2 15/06/2026 29m (174 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera

14/06/2026 15/06/2026 The next night

Date: 14/06/2026
Location: 35.5307° N, 23.8104° E
Integration: 29m (174 × 10s)
Software: ZWO Seestar app
Notes: ·
Total effort: 2h 25m over 2 nights
Moon: 🌘Waning crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA: 18h 03m 38.2s
Centre Dec: −24° 19′ 28″
Field: 42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale: 1.19″/px
Orientation: 175.8° E of N
Hemisphere: Southern

Also in this frame

M8NGC 6526NGC 6530IC 1271

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50

CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera

RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 18 03 38.2 -24 19 28. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Κρήτη (Crete), Greece

35.5307° N, 23.8104° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 8?

M 8 is an emission nebula.

Which constellation is M 8 in?

M 8 lies in the constellation Sagittarius.

How far away is M 8?

The light in this image left M 8 roughly ~4,100 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.

What are the coordinates of M 8?

M 8 sits at right ascension 18h 03m 38s and declination −24° 19′ 28″ (J2000).

When is the best time to photograph M 8?

M 8 rides highest in the evening sky around June, reaching about 30° above the horizon from around 36°N.

What else is in this frame?

The plate-solved field also contains NGC 6526, NGC 6530, and IC 1271.

What equipment was used to photograph M 8?

This image of M 8 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.

How much exposure time went into this image?

This image of M 8 represents 29m (174 × 10s) + 29m (174 x 10s) of total integration time.

Lagoon Nebula

Where to find it

Frequently asked questions

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