M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton

M20 The Trifid Nebula

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion) and a dark nebula (the apparent 'gaps' within the emission nebula that cause the trifid appearance; these are also designated Barnard 85). Viewed through a small telescope, the Trifid Nebula is a bright and colorful object, and is thus a perennial favorite of amateur astronomers The dark areas are lanes of dark dust that obscure the nebula's light. This diffuse nebula is very large, and is located about 5,000 light-years from Earth. It is illuminated by a hot 7th-magnitude star located deep within. M20 is a magnificent object easily visible with a pair of binoculars. The dark rifts that divide the nebula can be seen in a small telescope. Photographs will show the nebula's bright red, pink, and blue colors. .

Comments

Revisions

  • M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton
    Original
  • M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton
    D
  • M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton
    E
  • Final
    M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton
    F

Histogram

M20    The Trifid Nebula, AlBroxton

In these collections

Allen Broxton