Lagoon Nebula facts for kids
The Lagoon Nebula is a huge, colorful cloud of gas and dust floating in space. It's also known as Messier 8 or NGC 6523. This amazing cosmic cloud is a special type of nebula called an emission nebula. It's found in the constellation of Sagittarius, which looks like a teapot in the night sky. The Lagoon Nebula is about 4,100 light-years away from Earth. A light-year is how far light travels in one year, which is a very, very long distance!
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What is the Lagoon Nebula?
The Lagoon Nebula is a giant cloud in space where new stars are being born. It's called an "emission nebula" because it glows brightly. This glow comes from hot, young stars inside the nebula. These stars give off a lot of energy, which makes the surrounding gas light up, much like a neon sign.
A Stellar Nursery
The Lagoon Nebula is also known as an H II region. This means it's a cloud of hydrogen gas that has been ionized, or given an electric charge, by the strong ultraviolet light from very hot, young stars. This makes the gas glow red. Because new stars are forming here, the Lagoon Nebula is often called a "stellar nursery."
Why is it called the Lagoon?
The nebula gets its name from a dark lane of dust that cuts through its bright, glowing gas. This dark lane makes it look like a lagoon or a body of water in the middle of the glowing cloud. It's a beautiful sight to see through a telescope!
Where is the Lagoon Nebula?
The Lagoon Nebula is located in the constellation of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a constellation that can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere and parts of the Northern Hemisphere during summer. It's part of our own Milky Way galaxy, specifically in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm.
How Far Away Is It?
The Lagoon Nebula is about 4,100 light-years from Earth. To give you an idea of how far that is, light travels at an incredible speed of about 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second. So, the light we see from the Lagoon Nebula today actually left it 4,100 years ago!
What's Happening Inside the Lagoon Nebula?
Inside the Lagoon Nebula, there's a lot of activity! It's a very active place where new stars are constantly forming.
Star Formation
Giant clouds of gas and dust, like the Lagoon Nebula, are the perfect places for stars to be born. Gravity pulls clumps of gas and dust together. As these clumps get bigger and denser, they start to heat up. Eventually, they become so hot and dense that nuclear fusion begins in their core, and a new star is born!
Young Stars and Hot Gas
The Lagoon Nebula contains many very hot, young stars. One of the most famous parts of the nebula is a bright, hourglass-shaped region called the "Hourglass Nebula" (not to be confused with the larger Hourglass Nebula in the Carina Nebula). This region is lit up by a very hot, massive young star. The energy from these young stars carves out cavities and shapes within the nebula, creating its stunning appearance.
Images for kids
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Lagoon Nebula in HaRGB
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Lagoon and Trifid nebulae
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Image combined through three different filters (B, V, R) with a 1.5-metre telescope
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Center of the Lagoon Nebula
See also
In Spanish: Nebulosa de la Laguna para niños
