No stars
This part of Sagitarius is very rich and Colorful. M8, the Lagoon Nebula is the dominant feature, a glowing cloud of hydrogen gas lit by newly formed stars in the cluster NGC 6523. The Trifid nebula, M20 in the upper centre has striking blue and red emission regions with prominent dark lanes.
Stars have been removed to show the nebulosity clearly.
Details
Date and location - 2010-08-14 at Metchosin, Vancouver Island, BC.
Conditions excellent for seeing, moisture, lack of wind and very dark skies. Temp 12 deg C at 1:00am.
Equipment - 105mm apo refractor with 0.8x reducer for focal length of 588mm at f/5.6. Canon T1i (modified). HEQ5 mount.
Exposure - 90 lights and 31darks at ISO 1600 for 60s with 8 flats for calibration.
Processing in Images Plus, Pixinsite and Photoshop