74 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2018
Sitting by
the Lagoon
Sagittarius boasts several
glorious star-forming
regions. And while the
Lagoon Nebula (M8)
receives the lion’s share
of attention, the Archer’s
other wonders deserve
kudos as well. Consider
NGC 6559. Located just
1° east of the Lagoon, this
stellar nursery offers a
dramatic mix of young
stars, glowing gas, and
opaque dust. The hottest
newborn stars emit lots of
ultraviolet light, which
excites nearby hydrogen
atoms and causes them
to glow red. Meanwhile,
pockets of dust particles
reflect and scatter mostly
blue light. Astronomers
captured this view with
the 2.6-meter VLT Survey
Telescope on Chile’s Cerro
Paranal. ESO/M. KORNMESSERBREAK
THROUGH