The Trifid Nebula (Summer)

Located in the constellation Sagittarius, the Trifid Nebula (M20) sits low in the southern sky. From my location in northern Wisconsin, it reaches a maximum altitude of 21 degrees. Don’t let that discourage you—the Trifid is still a beautiful and rewarding target.

The Trifid contains three types of nebulae. The red region is an emission nebula, the blue is a reflection nebula, and dark dust lanes  divide the bright nebula into three lobes, giving the Trifid its name.

The Trifid is best photographed with broadband filters. While narrowband filters can capture the red hydrogen emission, they capture very little of the blue reflection nebula. Broadband imaging will give you the Trifid’s beautiful combination of red and blue.