September 24, 2014
Light takes eight minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth. It took the universe 13.8 billion years to make you.
The Lagoon Nebula in Stars Dust and Gas
Birthday · September 24, 2014
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APOD published September 24, 2014. Credit: Remus Chua (Celestial Portraits). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The large majestic Lagoon Nebula is home for many young stars and hot gas. Spanning 100 light years across while lying only about 5000 light years distant, the Lagoon Nebula is so big and bright that it can be seen without a telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius. Many bright stars are visible from NGC 6530, an open cluster that formed in the nebula only several million years ago. The greater nebula, also known as M8 and NGC 6523, is named "Lagoon" for the band of dust seen to the left of the open cluster's center. A bright knot of gas and dust in the nebula's center is known as the Hourglass Nebula. The featured picture is a newly processed panorama of M8, capturing five times the diameter of the Moon. Star formation continues in the Lagoon Nebula as witnessed by the many globules that exist there. APOD Wall Calendar: Nebulas and Star Clusters
Image credit: Remus Chua (Celestial Portraits)