The Trifid Nebula also known as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514 is an H II region in the north-west of Sagittarius in a star-forming region in the Milky Way’s Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. Its name means ‘three-lobe’. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (the relatively dense, reddish-pink portion), a reflection nebula (the mainly NNE blue portion), and a dark nebula (the apparent ‘gaps’ in the former that cause the trifurcated appearance, also designated Barnard 85). Viewed through a small telescope, the Trifid Nebula is a bright and peculiar object, and is thus a perennial favorite of amateur astronomers.
Object Designations: M20 or NGC 6514
Also known as: Trifid Nebula
Constellation: Sagittarius
Object Type: nebula
Distance: 4200 light-years away
Magnitude: 10
Discovery: Charles Messier in 1764
This final image is:
75 – 75 second subs at 100 gain – no filter – 90 minutes of integration
I processed the images using Pixinsight using:
Blink to clear out low quality images
Weighted Batch Balance
SpectroPhotometricCalibration
AutomaticBackgroundExtractor
BlurExterminator
NoiseExterminator
GeneralizedHyperbolicStrectch
ColorCalibration on both versions
StarXTerminator
Curves on both versions using other version as mask
Pixmath to put stars back with both images.
This is my image of it 15 months earlier. I think I am getting better:
https://wolfrunobservatory.com/2024/06/m20-trifid-nebula/
