COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Record
Title:
The Trifid Nebula in Stars and Dust
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.cosmotog… ] is visible [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] 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 [ http://en.wikipedia… ]. The red-glowing gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] results from high-energy starlight striking interstellar hydrogen [ http://periodic.lan… ] 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.noao.edu… ] 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:
R. Jay GaBany [ http://www.cosmotog… ] (Cosmotography.com [ http://www.cosmotog… ])
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
LACE
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap070813
