Trifid Nebula
mage of the central region of the Trifid Nebula (M20 in the Messier Catalogue) taken by the Gemini North 8-meter Telescope on Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, June 5, 2002. Located in the constellation of Sagittarius, the beautiful nebula is a much-photographed, dynamic cloud of gas and dust where stars are being born. One of the massive stars at the nebula's center was born approximately 100,000 years ago. The nebula's distance from the Solar System remains in dispute, but it is generally agreed to be somewhere between 2,200 to 9,000 light years away.
Credit:Gemini Observatory / GMOS Image
About the Image
Id: | noaoann02008a |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | Aug. 4, 2002, 9:57 a.m. |
Related announcements: | noaoann02008 |
Size: | 2133 x 2133 px |
About the Object
Name: | Gemini North |
Constellation: | Sagittarius |
Category: | Nebulae |
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Coordinates
Position (RA): | 18 2 21.21 |
Position (Dec): | -23° 2' 2.33" |
Field of view: | 5.18 x 5.18 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is -0.0° left of vertical |
Colors & filters
Band | Wave-length | Tele-scope |
---|---|---|
Optical G | 475 nm | Gemini North GMOS-N |
Optical R | 630 nm | Gemini North GMOS-N |
Optical Z | 876 nm | Gemini North GMOS-N |