Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
M20: The Trifid Nebula
Explanation:
Unspeakable beauty and unimaginable bedlam can be found together in the Trifid Nebula [ http://www.seds.org…]. Also known as M20, this photogenic nebula [ http://www.noao.edu…] is visible with good binoculars towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wi…] of Sagittarius [ http://www.astro.wi…]. The energetic processes of star formation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] create not only the colors but the chaos. The red-glowing gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] results from high-energy starlight striking interstellar hydrogen [ http://pearl1.lanl.…] gas. The dark dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] filaments [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that lace M20 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] were created in the atmospheres of cool giant stars [ http://www.astro.ke…] and in the debris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] from supernovae [ http://imagine.gsfc…] explosions. Which bright young stars light up the blue reflection nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is still being investigated [ http://adsabs.harva…]. The light from M20 [ http://www.aao.gov.…] we see today left perhaps 3000 years ago, although the exact distance remains unknown. Light takes about 50 years to cross M20 [ http://www.seds.org…].
Credit and Copyright:
//www.noao.edu/scope /copyright.html" >Copyright: Todd Boroson [ mailto:tboroson@noao .edu ], AURA [ http://www.aura-ast…], NOAO [ http://www.noao.edu/], NSF [ http://www.nsf.gov/]
keyword:
emission nebula
keyword:
reflection nebula
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_what:
Aura
facet_what:
LACE
facet_what:
Sagittarius
facet_what:
nebula
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap000328

M20: The Trifid Nebula
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