Trifid Nebula

The beautiful Trifid Nebula, also known as Messier 20, is located in the Sagittarius region, the central region of our galaxy, which is rich in nebulae. It can be easily found and observed even with a small telescope. It is located 5,000 light-years away. In the upper right corner, you can see the open star cluster known as Messier 21.

The Trifid nebula is 40 light-years across and 300,000 years old. This makes it one of the youngest and most active star-forming regions in our sky. Although they are in the same frame, they are not related to the open star cluster Messier 21. Messier 21 is 8 million years old, and the stars there are much older.