Messier 20, the Trifid Nebula

Emission nebula
Sagittarius
RA 18h 02m 23s
DEC −23° 01′ 48″
Magnitude: 6.3
Apparent Size: 28 arc minutes
Distance: 5200 ly
Discovered by: Charles Messier on June 5, 1764

Messier-20.jpg

If I have a favorite deep sky object – and I’m not sure that I do – the Trifid Nebula might be it. There are a couple of reasons it might be my favorite though. First, I remember being mesmerized by its black and white photos I grew up seeing in books and being intrigued by its name, especially because its dark lanes seemed to slice it into four sections.

Secondly, it just looked so ephemeral, and even though my views through the suburban light glow I grew up in where tantalizing, it wasn’t until my first trip to darker skies that I realized I could see much of this detail for myself. Under these darker skies it looked beautiful through my 8 inch, and it really did look like it was divided into three sections.

With each larger scope – 12, 20 and now 28 inches, I’ve come to appreciate it even more. The dark lanes have structure and depth through my 28 inch scope, the brighter parts of the nebulosity has a warm hue while the fainter part to the north looks cooler. The hues seem more prominent when using a binoviewer but I’ve seen them quite well with a single eyepiece during exceptionally clear observing conditions.

My sketch is a rough draft of a long term project, which I hope to add to in the next couple of months. I find large, diffuse nebulae like the Trifid are the most difficult objects to draw realistically.

Trifid for Hawaii presentationSMALL.jpg Trifid for Hawaii presentation_invertedSMALL.jpg

Also fascinating is the multiple star in the center of the Trifid, ADS 10991, but there are other stars nearby that under steady seeing make it look even more interesting.

The color photo here is from http://www.constellation-guide.com/t...la-messier-20/ which also has a nice facts and figure article about the Trifid. Good stuff, but for me the best reason to look at the Trifid Nebula is to enjoy its sublime beauty and recall my youthful enthusiasm while under a starry summer sky.


GIVE IT A GO AND LETS US KNOW!