Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Sagittarius (Sgr)  ·  Contains:  4 Sgr  ·  7 Sgr  ·  9 Sgr  ·  B296  ·  B85  ·  B88  ·  B89  ·  HD163721  ·  HD164031  ·  HD164105  ·  HD164146  ·  HD164147  ·  HD164171  ·  HD164194  ·  HD164226  ·  HD164265  ·  HD164266  ·  HD164294  ·  HD164384  ·  HD164385  ·  HD164386  ·  HD164403  ·  HD164452  ·  HD164453  ·  HD164492  ·  HD164514  ·  HD164515  ·  HD164534  ·  HD164535  ·  HD164536  ·  And 193 more.
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The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae (M 8 and M20), Rick Laird
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The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae (M 8 and M20)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae (M 8 and M20), Rick Laird
Powered byPixInsight

The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae (M 8 and M20)

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Description

The Lagoon Nebula's (M 8) distance from Earth is estimated to fall within the range of 4,000 to 6,000 light-years. Its apparent size in our Earth's sky is about 90' by 40', which corresponds to a true dimension of approximately 110 by 50 light years. While it exhibits a pink hue in long-exposure color photographs, when observed through binoculars or a telescope, it appears gray due to the limitations of human color sensitivity at low light intensities. Within the nebula, a collection of Bok globules—dense, contracting clouds of protostellar material—can be found.

The Trifid Nebula, also designated as Messier 20 (M20) and NGC 6514, resides within the north-western region of Sagittarius. It finds its place in a dynamic star-forming locale located within the Scutum-Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Its initial identification is credited to Charles Messier, who made the discovery on June 5, 1764. The nebula's name, "Trifid," derives from its three-lobed appearance. This celestial object presents a captivating juxtaposition of elements, encompassing an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (noticeable by its denser, reddish-pink segment), a reflection nebula (predominantly manifesting in the NNE direction with a blue hue), and a dark nebula.

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The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae (M 8 and M20), Rick Laird

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N.I.N.A. Users
SDAA AISIG Group

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Messier Catalog