The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means ‘divided into three lobes’. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars; an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion) and a dark nebula (the apparent ‘gaps’ within the emission nebula that cause the trifurcated appearance; these are 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.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion AstroView 6 EQ
Mounts: Orion EQ 3-2
Software: Luc Coiffier’s DeekSkyStacker (DSS), Photoshop CS6
Accessories: Orion EQ-3M Single Axis Drive
Resolution: 1600×1378
Dates: April 8, 2013
Frames: 68×30″
Integration: 0.6 hours
Avg. Moon age: 27.16 days
Avg. Moon phase: 6.23%
RA center: 270.600 degrees
DEC center: -22.917 degrees
Orientation: 124.184 degrees
Field radius: 0.528 degrees
Locations: Observatório caseiro, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Author: Victor Brasil Sabbagh