June 5, 2023
The light from the farthest visible stars set out on its journey long before your first birthday.
In the Center of the Trifid Nebula
Birthday · June 5, 2023
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APOD published June 5, 2023. Credit: Martin Pugh. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What's happening at the center of the Trifid Nebula? Three prominent dust lanes that give the Trifid its name all come together. Mountains of opaque dust appear near the bottom, while other dark filaments of dust are visible threaded throughout the nebula. A single massive star visible near the center causes much of the Trifid's glow. The Trifid, cataloged as M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest emission nebulas known. The star forming nebula lies about 9,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). The region pictured here spans about 20 light years. Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Image credit: Martin Pugh