Astronomy and astrophotography under California stars
M8 & M20
Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
M8 (Lagoon Nebula) and M20 (Trifid Nebula) taken with a Takahashi FSQ-106EDX-III Telescope. Click for a larger version.
Other Names/Objects M20 (Trifid Nebula, top center), M8 (Lagoon Nebula, bottom right), M21 (small star cluster to the left of M20), Sh-29 (nebula to the left of the Lagoon), NGC6544 (small globular star cluster below the Lagoon)
Optics Takahashi FSQ-106ED X-III Quadruplet Refractor Telescope at f/5.0
Mount Astro-Physics 900-GTO German Equatorial Go-To Mount
Camera FLI MicroLine KAI-11002-C at -25°C
Exposure 590 minutes (59 x 10 minutes)
Calibration 60 darks | 60 flats | 0 bias
Air Temperature Between 60° & 70°F
Accessories Autoguided with SBIG ST-i camera and Astrodon MMOAG
Location CaliforniaStars Observatory in Landers, California
Date June 14, 15 & 16, 2012
Notes Processing: MaxIm DL Pro v5.18 for acquisition. Calibrate, Bayer CFA interpolation, register, and combine in ImagesPlus v4.25. Final processing in Photoshop CS4.

Larger version:
1600 x 2400 (~4.7 MB)