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Vivid Trifid! (M20), Menlo Astronomy
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Vivid Trifid! (M20)

Vivid Trifid! (M20), Menlo Astronomy
Powered byPixInsight

Vivid Trifid! (M20)

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The Trifid Nebula taken by Caroline Baccus. This picture was taken at the summit of Mount Diablo, with an 8" Newtonian at a Bortle scale of 4-5.

Trifid, named for the three prominent dust lanes dividing its core,  is a unique combination of emission, reflection, and dark nebulas. The relatively high-density pink areas are emission nebulae and H II regions, regions made up of atomic ionized hydrogen (hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, making them positively charged). The blue reflection nebulas in Trifid are caused by interstellar dust and gas reflecting starlight from nearby stars, and the dark nebulas are dust in front of the starry core, concealing its light from view. Trifid is estimated to be about 5,200 ly away, and at the relatively low magnitude value of 6.3, it makes a great astrophotography target!

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  • Vivid Trifid! (M20), Menlo Astronomy
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    Vivid Trifid! (M20), Menlo Astronomy
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Vivid Trifid! (M20), Menlo Astronomy