Hubble image of the star-forming Lagoon Nebula

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the center of the Lagoon Nebula (aka "M8"), an object with a deceptively tranquil name. The region is filled with intense winds from hot stars, churning funnels of gas, and energetic star formation, all embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust. The nebula is also actively forming new stars.

This image combines both infrared and optical light rather than being purely optical. Infrared light cuts through thick, obscuring patches of dust and gas, revealing the more intricate structures underneath and producing a completely different landscape.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)