| "The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 82) |
Astrophotography by Jason Jennings |
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| Nebulae :: M20 | |
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| Resolutions Available: 860x825 : 1434x1375 : 2048x1964 | |
| Object | M20 - Trifid Nebula |
| Comment |
The beautiful Trifid Nebula is a cosmic study in colorful 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, dark dust lanes, lends the Trifid its popular name. In this well met scene, the red emission is also juxtaposed with the telltale blue haze of reflection nebulae. Text source APOD. Image is a [Ha+OIII],[HA+R]GB composite. |
| Optics | RCOS 12.5" F/9 (2874mm FL) |
| Camera | Apogee Alta F16M - 1x1 bin (image scale: .65 arcsec/pix) |
| Mount | Software Bisque Paramount ME |
| Exposure | Total exposure time: 37 hours |
| Date | August 2014 |