© Anglo-Australian Observatory
Photograph by David Malin

The Trifid Nebula, also known as M20, is one of the most spectacular sights in our Milky Way Galaxy. But like many astronomical targets, we need telescopes and astrophotographers to bring the object to light.

The nebula, perhaps as much as 9,000 light-years away (the distance is uncertain) is a cloud of gas and dust energized by a huge central star, several times more massive than the Sun. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the star ionizes the gas (stripping electrons from atoms) and heats the dust.

The star, which can't be seen in this image because it's hidden inside all the material it lights up, is the brightest of a small cluster a the nebula's center.

What's really interesting is what's going on inside the dark cloud. For that story, astronomers employed the Hubble Space Telescope to examine individual regions in detail. What they found was an incredible tale of birth and death, in which the central star seems to hold sway on both fates, forcing new star formation as well as serving as a destroyer in the chaotic natal cloud.

For prints of this image or more information, visit David Malin Images.

-- Robert Roy Britt