Full HST WFPC2 Image of Trifid Nebula
Three huge intersecting dark lanes of interstellar dust make the Trifid Nebula one of the most recognizable and striking star birth regions in the night sky. The dust, silhouetted against glowing gas and illuminated by starlight, cradles the bright stars at the heart of the Trifid. This nebula, also known as Messier 20 and NGC 6514, lies within our own Milky Way Galaxy about 9,000 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Sagittarius. This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, offers a close-up view of the center of the Trifid Nebula, near the intersection of the dust bands, where a group of recently formed, massive, bright stars is easily visible.
Credit:
About the Image
NASA press release
NASA caption
NASA caption
| Id: | opo0417g |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 3 June 2004, 15:00 |
| Size: | 3164 x 3188 px |
About the Object
| Name: | M 20, Messier 20, NGC 6514, Trifid Nebula |
| Type: | • Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region • Nebulae Images/Videos |
| Distance: | 5500 light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical OIII |
502 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical H-alpha |
656 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical SII |
673 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
