The Trifid Nebula (M20), is another delight in Sagittarius, but best seen with moderate size scopes. Three Dark lanes devide this nebula into three parts, familiar on photographs, giving it the name TRIFID.
These vast clouds shine by excited hydrogen molecules receiving energy from stars inside.
The photograph below was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope and shows the turbulent gases and dark matter swirling around in this nebula.
Use your mouse to explore my photograph (above, right) and see if you can find where this Hubble shot was taken. If you need help, move your mouse to the far upper left corner and the location will be identified.
M20 The Trifid Nebula NGC6514
