M20 / NGC 6514 / Trifid Nebula

NameTrifid Nebula
Designation(s)M20, NGC 6514
Object Type(s)Emission Nebula
Relevant Catalog(s)All (Chron), Messier, NGC
Obs. Lat/Long42° 17', 073° 57'
ConstellationSagittarius
Date and Time Observed2024-08-25 22:30:00
InstrumentAskar V 80mm w flattener f6.2-495mm FL
CameraASI294MC-Pro
Image DetailsUp is 0.2 degrees E of N. Exposures 30s@305g, L-eNhance Filter, Bin 2. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding.
DescriptionThe Trifid Nebula is a bright spot, low on the Southern Horizon, just above the Lagoon Nebula... connected by a band of HII gas. It's part of one of the most active star forming regions in our part of the Milky Way, eclipsed only by the Orion complex. Trifid, btw, means "3-lobed" which is an obvious name when you examine the object. I hadn't planned on observing this object, but it was a partly cloudy night and the southern horizon was the clearest. The Trifid was quite low, around 20° when the observation started, but far enough west to miss the tall trees on my property which are closer to the meridian. Transparency was mediocre, with a rising moon illuminating the sky. But I was able to capture this fairly quickly, with my camera set to Bin 2. The bright edge at the bottom of the thread is the Lagoon Nebula (M8).
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