M8 – Emission Nebula in Sagittarius

Telescope: ES Comet Hunter MN6 at f/4.8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: 2” Radian Triad Ultra Hb, OIII, Ha, SII filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD

Exposure: 44x60sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 64×1/5sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, fair transparency, low altitude

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M8, the Lagoon Nebula, is a large bright emission nebula in Sagittarius. It is an easy binocular object and just keeps getting better with larger telescopes. Visually it does look like a lagoon, but photographically it blossoms out into a beautiful red rose. The color comes from diffuse interstellar hydrogen set aglow by stars embedded within it. Note the little globular cluster NGC 6544 to the lower left.

M8 is currently fairly well placed rising in the southeast late in the evening and is above the southern horizon during the early morning hours.