🔭 M20 — Trifid Nebula

Diffuse nebula in Sagittarius

M20, Trifid Nebula is a diffuse nebula in the constellation Sagittarius, with an apparent magnitude of about 6.3, roughly 5.2 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M20
Common name	Trifid Nebula
Object type	Diffuse nebula
Constellation	Sagittarius
NGC / IC	NGC 6514
Apparent magnitude	6.3
Distance (approx.)	5.2 thousand light-years

What a diffuse nebula is

An interstellar cloud of gas and dust — glowing where hot young stars energise it (emission), reflecting nearby starlight, or silhouetted against brighter clouds.

Other Messier objects in Sagittarius: M8, M17, M18, M21, M22, M23, M24, M25, M28, M54, M55, M69, M70, M75.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.