Lagoon Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope Nov 9, 2025

Lagoon Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

The universe hums with creation. Featured here, in the Lagoon Nebula, a cluster called NGC 6530 is kindling newborn stars, a glowing reminder that beginnings are woven into the fabric of the cosmos. About 4,350 light-years away and a few million years old, it is a stellar formation still in its earliest chapter. Despite its immense distance, it glimmers faintly in the night sky, one of only two star-forming nebulae visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes, alongside the famous Orion Nebula. First recorded by Giovanni Hodierna in 1654, it is located in the constellation Sagittarius. In long-exposure photographs, the Lagoon Nebula may appear pink, but when viewed through a telescope it looks grey, as the human eye struggles to detect colour in low-light conditions. So, if you ever try to spot it, don"t be surprised by its muted appearance.

© ESA/NASA

palette

Today in History

Nov 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Nov 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 4, 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland
Jul 17, 2024Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
Apr 11, 2026Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Jan 28, 2025Short-eared owl
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
Aug 25, 2024Glacier National Park, Montana
Oct 26, 2024Gespensterwald, Niehagen, Germany
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Nov 15, 2024Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mar 13, 2025Gran Paradiso National Park, Piedmont, Italy
Mar 15, 2024Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA
Mar 17, 2024St. Finians Bay, County Kerry, Ireland
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
Oct 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming, United States
May 21, 2026Tea terraces in Sichuan Province, China
Aug 9, 2024Inca ruin of Sacsayhuamán near Cusco, Peru
Apr 17, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
May 12, 2026Atlantic puffins, Wales
Jan 28, 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Feb 15, 2025Icicles of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
Aug 22, 2023Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia
Jun 19, 2025Beach in Santa Catarina, Brazil
Jan 3, 2026Staubbach Falls at Lauterbrunnen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
Apr 10, 2025Red fox cubs near their den
Apr 26, 2025Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
May 3, 2026Leopard sleeping in a tree in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya