In the Center of the Trifid Nebula

What’s happening at the center of the Trifid Nebula? Three prominent Cosmic Dust lanes that give the Trifid its name all come together. Mountains of opaque Dust appear near the bottom, 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, cataloged as M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest emission Nebulae known.

The Star Forming Region lies about 9,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). The region pictured here spans about 20 light years.

Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator