Apod 1.6

M8, a Messier object located in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, is the home of many new, young stars and hot gas. M8, whose common name is the Lagoon Nebula, is over 100 light years across. Only 5 light years away from Earth, this nebula can be seen easily without the aid of a telescope. Recently, in astronomical terms, an open cluster formed inside of the Lagoon Nebula and is home to many visible, bright, young stars. Open clusters contain hundreds of stars, many of which are bright, young, and blue. Open clusters tend to have irregular shapes. This particular open cluster's name is NGC 6530. Another bright object inside M8 is the Hourglass Nebula, which is close to the center of M8. The presence of globules, clouds of interstellar gas and dust, prove that the Lagoon Nebula is still forming stars.