The heart of the Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula, cataloged by astronomers as Messier 20 or NGC 6514, is a well-known region of star formation lying within our own Milky Way Galaxy. It is called the Trifid because the nebula is overlain by three bands of obscuring interstellar dust, giving it a trisected appearance as seen in small telescopes. The Trifid lies about 9,000 light-years (2,700 parsecs) from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | Messier 20, NGC 6514, Trifid Nebula |
|---|---|
| Type: | Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region |
| Constellation: | Sagittarius |
| Category: | Nebulae |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 18 2 22.54 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | -23° 1' 46.12" |
| Field of view: | 3.50 x 2.22 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 149.9° right of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
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 |