Trifid Nebula
Emission and reflection nebula, M20
From the Sun
4,100 light-years
Open in 3DWhat it is
Split into three lobes by dark lanes of dust; red where hydrogen glows, blue where dust reflects starlight.
The picture hangs at that distance facing Earth, as large as it is on the sky; how deep the object is cannot be seen, so it is flat.
The picture
- Taken by
- European Southern Observatory
- Picture spans
- about 17 ly
- From the Sun
- 4,100 light-years
- RA / Dec
- 270.67° / -22.97°
- Credit
- ESO
Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula is an H II region in the north-west of Sagittarius in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'three-lobe'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula, and a dark nebula.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA · Read the article
In the Milky Way
- Pillars of CreationStar-forming columns in the Eagle Nebula · 5,700 light-years3D
Picture: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; J. DePasquale, A. Koekemoer, A. Pagan (STScI).
- Orion NebulaNearest large star-forming region, M42 · 1,344 light-years3D
- Crab NebulaSupernova remnant, M1 · 6,500 light-years3D
- PleiadesOpen star cluster, M45 · 444 light-years3D
- Cosmic CliffsEdge of NGC 3324 in Carina · 7,600 light-years3D
- Horsehead NebulaDark nebula, Barnard 33 · 1,375 light-years3D
- Carina NebulaStar-forming region, NGC 3372 · 7,500 light-years3D
Picture: ESO. Acknowledgement: VPHAS+ Consortium/Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit
- Sagittarius A*, imagedEvent Horizon Telescope, 2022 · 26,670 light-years3D
