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I thought I'd put some of the ideas I've been thinking about into practice with a sketch of the area around M8 & M20.
This area was astounding. The extent of the nebulosity around M8 was as extensive as I've seen in photographs. Not just the Hour Glass, but the massive extensions all around it. It was amazing to see the bright nebulosity that surrounds the two Hour Glass lobes, seen on the left half of M8 in the sketch. Then there is the fainter expanse on the right of the Hour Glass. I had only caught a glimpse of the massive extensions in my 17.5" from home. This night I've seen the whole massive structure with only a 70mm aperture.
I had always thought that Dark Nebulae mentioned in descriptions of these structures, to be only visible with very large apertures. How wrong was I! Here I've laid down the most striking dark nebulosity that stuck in my mind. The dark finger to the left of M8 was most striking.
This sketch is an impression of what I saw that night. I used the wide field sketch I did a month or so ago of this same area to lay down the position of the component stars. I have attempted to lay down the features as I best remember them. As such, this sketch is more an exercise in technique, but the essential elements are there. I've also wanted to convey the brilliance of what was in the field of view compared to the dark enclosure of the instrument.
Again, this is approximately a 4.5 degree FOV through my 11X70 binos.
Mental.
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