The Lively Center of the Lagoon Nebula

There is a spectacular star formation in the center of the Lagoon Nebula. At least two long funnel-shaped clouds, each roughly half a light-year long, have been formed by extreme stellar winds and intense energetic starlight near the image center. Herschel 36 is a bright star. There are walls of dust that hide hot young stars. Shear winds may cause the funnels as the energy from the stars pours into the cool dust and gas. This picture was taken in about 10 light years and has images taken in six different colors. The Lagoon Nebula is 5000 light years away from the constellation of the Sagittarius.

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Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the galaxy's boxy, bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. NGC 4565 itself lies about 40 million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.