BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Sagittarius the Archer *new*

In northern hemisphere summer, the ancient zodiac constellation Sagittarius stands low on the southern horizon. It's a special constellation, for when you see Sagittarius, you're looking into the heart of the Milky Way.

Sagittarius the Archer

Thanks for that Mona. That was an interesting post. "The heart of the Milky Way' <--- great description.

Thanks, Daisybun, glad you liked it. It's a strange feeling to look towards Sagittarius and know you're facing the center of the Galaxy, even if we can't actually see it for all the dust.

Here is one of the best known nebulae in Sagittarius, the Lagoon Nebula (M8). It looks red in a long exposure photograph because it's a star-forming region and hot young stars make the hydrogen gas glow. However if you could actually see the nebula through a telescope, it would look grey because the nebula is distant and the light is faint. (See What Color Is a Nebula? for an explanation.)

Astronomommy suggests changing the words to the "I'm a Little Teapot" song in order to help children pick out Sagittarius and the Milky Way. Works for me.