"Lagoon Nebula"

An incredible new view of the Lagoon nebula, taken by Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias and Rodolfo Barbá , using the Gemini South telescope in Chile. This region of the Lagoon is sometimes called the “Southern Cliff” because it resembles a sharp drop-off. Beyond the cliff, light from a spattering of young background stars in the upper left of the image shines through the cloudscape.

The Lagoon nebula is located towards the constellation Sagittarius in the southern Milky Way. Viewed through large amateur telescopes, it appears as a pale ghostly glow with a touch of pink. In this image, the astronomers used special filters to reveal characteristics of the gas clouds. Optical filters sensitive to hydrogen (red) and ionized sulfur (green) emission, and another that transmits far red light (blue) were used to create this amazing image.


It is awe inspiring and also humbling to see some of what is really out there. And to think, we only know 4% of the cosmos...