Image Credit: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ), Hubble Space Telescope, Martin Pugh; Processing: Robert GendlerExplanation: Clouds of glowing gas mingle with dust lanes in the
Trifid Nebula, a star forming region toward the
constellation of the Archer (
Sagittarius). In the center, the three prominent
dust lanes that give the
Trifid its name all come together.
Mountains of opaque dust appear on the right, while other dark filaments of dust are visible threaded throughout the nebula. A
single massive star visible near the center causes much of the
Trifid’s glow. The Trifid, also known as
M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest
emission nebulae known.
The nebula lies about 9,000
light years away and the part
pictured here spans about 10 light years. The
above image is a composite with
luminance taken from an image by the 8.2-m ground-based
Subaru Telescope, detail provided by the 2.4-m orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope, color data provided by
Martin Pugh and image assembly and processing provided by
Robert Gendler.