This image of M8 ("Lagoon Nebula") was taken with a 20cm (8 inch) Celestron SCT at F10 with an ST-6 CCD camera.
M8 is one of the best of the diffuse nebulae, and one I like too view in my C-8. It is located about 4.7 degrees west and slightly north from Lambda Sagittarii in the handle of the Big Dipper, and is plainly visible to the naked eye as a glowing comet-like patch just off the main stream of the Sagittarius Milky Way. Discovery of M8 is often credited to LeGentil in 1747, though it seems that it was recorded by Flamsteed as a "Nebulosum" preceding the "Bow of Sagittarius"as early as 1680. De Cheseaux, in 1746, also refers to a "Cluster in Sagittarius' Bow" which is probably M8.