| Designation |
Messier 20
(NGC 6514) & M 21 - small star cluster to upper left
|
| Type | Emission & Reflection Nebula |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Coordinates | Telescope centered at '18 01 51' Dec '-22 49 07' |
| Magnitude | 9.0 |
| Size | The emission portion is approximately 20 light years in diameter |
| Distance | 5,200 light years from Earth |
| Dimensions | 28x 28 arcminutes |
| Image Field | 90.6 x 131.3 arcminutes |
|
Notes:
|
M 20 is estimated to have formed about 300 million years ago. The Trifid gets its name from its segmented appearance, due to the three dark dust lanes that divide it. Similar to its neighbor The Lagoon, much of the visible emission is dominated by red florescing gas from hydrogen, forming an "H II region" around the bright small cluster of stars in the south. The blue portion is a result of the cooler reflection emission gases scattering light from nearby stars. |
|
|
| Telescope | Takahashi FS60C f/5.9 on Losmandy G-11 with Gemini L3 |
| Focal Length | 264 mm @ f/4.4 with Takahashi focal reducer |
| Guiding | SXV guidehead through 10" SCT @ f/3.3 |
| Telescope Control | Maxim DL (V3) |
| CCD Camera |
Starlight Xpress SXV-H9 - USB 2 ExView progressive
scan
1392 x 1040 (6.45 uM) pixel array (8.98 x 6.71 active area)
|
| Image Scale | 5.23 arcsec/pixel |
| Filters |
1.25" Astronomik Type II Dichroic
IR blocking filters in Astronomik filter drawer - Clear, Red, Green,
Blue, Ha
|
| Exposures |
Total exposure time: 130 minutes -Luminance
50 (10x5) minutes unbinned, RGB & Ha 20 (4 x 5) minutes each binned2x2.
|
| Calibration | None |
| Processing Software | Maxim DL, Photoshop CS (8.0) |
| Location | Chiefland Astronomy Village, FL - 29.393 N , - 82.863 W |
| Date/Time | 05/22/04 / '07:52' - '09:38' UT' |
