Lagoon Nebula
Where is the Lagoon Nebula?
Low in the southwest, at most 9° up around 20:20 in Sagittarius.
- Rises
- 14:23
- Highest
- 18:08
- Sets
- 21:53
- Best after dark
- 20:20 · 9°
Can I see the Lagoon Nebula tonight?
From London tonight, the Lagoon Nebula stays low while the sky is dark: at best 9° above the southwest horizon around 20:20. You’ll need a clear, flat view in that direction.
At magnitude 6.0, with its light spread out, it needs binoculars and a dark sky.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does the Lagoon Nebula look like?
Eyes
Under dark skies, a small bright patch in the Milky Way above the spout of the Teapot.
Binoculars
A hazy glow with a small star cluster on one side.
Telescope
An irregular cloud split by a dark lane, with a cluster of stars in one half. A nebula filter improves the view.
About the Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula is a giant cloud of glowing gas in Sagittarius, about 4,000–5,000 light-years away. Under dark skies it is visible to the naked eye as a brighter patch in the Milky Way.
A dark lane of dust cuts across it, the lagoon of its name. Young stars inside the nebula light up the surrounding hydrogen.
The Lagoon sits in the same binocular field as the Trifid Nebula, M20, a little to the north.
The Lagoon is about 100 light-years across. Near its brightest region, a hot young star illuminates a small, intense patch called the Hourglass Nebula.
The nebula contains a young star cluster, NGC 6530, and small dark knots called Bok globules, where new stars may be forming. It was recorded in the 17th and 18th centuries and added by Messier in 1764.
It is best placed on summer evenings from mid-northern latitudes, low in the south.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
Can I see the Lagoon Nebula from a city?
Sources: SkyMate; OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences