Astronomy Picture of the Day
    


Infrared Trifid
<< Yesterday 13.01.2005 Tomorrow >>
Infrared Trifid
Credit & Copyright: J. Rho (SSC/Caltech), JPL-Caltech, NASA
Explanation: The Trifid Nebula, aka M20, is easy to find with a small telescope, a well known stop in the nebula rich constellation Sagittarius. But where visible light pictures show the nebula divided into three parts by dark, obscuring dust lanes, this penetrating infrared image reveals filaments of luminous gas and newborn stars. The spectacular false-color view is courtesy of the Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers have used the Spitzer infrared image data to count newborn and embryonic stars which otherwise can lie hidden in the natal dust and glowing clouds of this intriguing stellar nursery. As seen here, the Trifid is about 30 light-years across and lies only 5,500 light-years away.

News: Huygens Probe Descends to Titan on Friday

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
 < January 2005  >
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su





12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31





Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Based on Astronomy Picture Of the Day

Publications with keywords: M 20 - Trifid nebula - infrared - star formation
Publications with words: M 20 - Trifid nebula - infrared - star formation
See also:
All publications on this topic >>