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

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:

Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Jul 2, 2025Spine-cheeked anemonefish
Mar 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
Sep 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA
Mar 13, 2024Lesser flamingos, Lake Magadi, Kenya
Feb 19, 2026Dragons Eye, Uttakleiv Beach, Norway
Nov 11, 2025Externsteine, Teutoburg Forest, Germany
Mar 21, 2024Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Nov 15, 2024Chiang Mai, Thailand
Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven
Jun 12, 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Sep 18, 2023Milky Way over Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Portugal
May 16, 2025Great green macaw, Mexico
Jan 8, 2025Great Wall of China
Nov 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Nov 18, 2025Male hooded merganser
Mar 16, 2024Eurasian blue tit, United Kingdom
Sep 18, 2025Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Ireland
May 21, 2025Tea garden at Yangjiatang Village, Songyang County, China
Feb 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Mar 20, 2024Peveril Castle, Derbyshire, England
Mar 1, 2025Aurora borealis over Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, Canada
Oct 5, 2023Gentoo penguins, Antarctica
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eaters
Jan 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
May 28, 2024The Monastery of Roussanou
Dec 10, 2025Castle of Rocca Calascio, Italy
Aug 20, 2024Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Aug 30, 2023Whale shark, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Nov 6, 2024Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington, USA