NGC 6523
The Lagoon Nebula and the Moon

Over millions of years, the persistant tug of gravity nudges interstellar material into vast clouds that eventually give rise to bright new suns. Our Sun and Earth were formed under similar conditions in a long since vanished stellar nursery. This scene stretches over 50 light years and is located about 5,000 light years distant towards the southern constellation of Sagittarius. Considering the Moon is about 2,328 miles (3.747 kilometers) in diameter and 157 trillion times closer to Earth than the Lagoon Nebula, you gain a better appreciation for how much space this enormous nebula occupies. Remove the Moon from this view by clicking here.