The Beautiful
Trifid
The beautiful Trifid Nebula is
a cosmic study in contrasts. Also known as M20, it lies
about 5,000 light-years away toward the nebula rich constellation Sagittarius.
A star forming region in
the plane of our galaxy, the Trifid illustrates three different types of
astronomical nebulae; red emission nebulae dominated by light emitted by hydrogen atoms,
blue reflection nebulae produced by dust reflecting starlight, and dark nebulae where dense dust clouds appear in silhouette.
The bright red emission
region, roughly separated into three parts by obscuring dust lanes, lends the
Trifid its popular name. But in this sharp, colorful scene, the red emission is also surrounded by the
telltale blue haze of reflection nebulae.
Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, below and left of the emission nebula's center, appear in Hubble Space Telescope close-up images of the region.
Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, below and left of the emission nebula's center, appear in Hubble Space Telescope close-up images of the region.
