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:

Dec 31, 2024Fireworks over Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada
Feb 24, 2024Almond trees in full bloom, California, USA
Dec 3, 2024Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Oct 13, 2024Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
May 1, 2024Hawaiian lei flower garlands
Feb 7, 2024St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
Jan 3, 2026Staubbach Falls at Lauterbrunnen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
Dec 6, 2023Dardagna waterfalls, Bologna, Italy
Feb 19, 2024Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Mar 18, 2024Elephant Rock, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia
Jan 30, 2025Rolands Breach, Spain
Oct 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Dec 3, 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA
Jul 7, 2024Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam
Aug 3, 2025Sunflowers
May 7, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Jun 8, 2024Confluence of Easter Creek and Killik River, Alaska, USA
Apr 22, 2026Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve in Tartu County, Estonia
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy
Aug 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
Feb 1, 2026Colourful house in Olinda, Brazil
Apr 29, 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Jan 31, 2024Burchells zebras
Jan 28, 2025Short-eared owl