2020 June 14 ~ M20 (the Trifid Nebula) and M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) in Sagittarius

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

between 00.28 and 00.54 EDT

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Altitude of centre of frame at time of exposures: ~19°

* Temperature 7° C.

 

* Total exposure time: 12 minutes

* 660 mm focal length telescope

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Description:

 

M8, the Lagoon Nebula (right side of the frame)

 

One of the most prominent, large, bright and well known nebulae in the sky is the Lagoon Nebula (M8), which is a favourite target of amateur astronomers with modest telescopes.

 

From Wikipedia: "The Lagoon Nebula ... is a giant interstellar cloud ... classified as an emission nebula and as an H II region. [It] was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. Within the nebula is the open cluster NGC 6530.

 

The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light-years away from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90' by 40', which translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. ... The nebula contains a number of Bok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of protostellar material), the most prominent of which have been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296."

 

M20, the Trifid Nebula (upper left side of the frame)

 

Lying just to the north of the large Lagoon Nebula is M20, the Trifid Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius (The Archer). The Trifid is unusual in consisting of both a red emission nebula (ionized hydrogen gas) and a fainter blue reflection nebula. It lies about 5,200 light years from our solar system.

 

From Wikipedia:

"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.

 

The Trifid Nebula is a star-forming region in the Scutum spiral arm of the Milky Way. The most massive star that has formed in this region is HD 164492A, an O7.5III star with a mass more than 20 times the mass of the Sun. This star is surrounded by a cluster of approximately 3100 young stars."

 

To the lower left of the Trifid is the open star cluster M21.

 

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on the RIGHT side of your screen, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/50019465117

 

To see a wider angle view this and other adjacent nebulae, photographed in Australia in Sept. 2019, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/49183970671

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Technical information:

 

Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic astrograph, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount

 

Twelve stacked frames; each frame:

660 mm focal length

ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/5.2; unguided

With long exposure noise reduction

 

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness / contrast, colour desaturation, sharpening)

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Done