Southern Sky Gems Observatory, Tivoli AstroFram, Kalahari Desert, Namibia

Total Exposure Time: 19:20 hours
Bin1:L 74 x 10 min.;Bin1:RGB 14,13,17x10 min.each
This image is 1693x1944 pixels

Officina Stellare RiDK 305 F7.9 OTA
SBIG STF8300M, AP GTO1200 mount, guided w/MaximDL
RA 18h 02m 25s, Dec -22° 58' 52"
Pos Angle +00° 08', FL 2413.8 mm, 0.69"/Pixel

Processed with PixInSight using IP4AP methodologies (www.ip4ap.com)

The beautiful Trifid Nebula is a cosmic study in contrasts. Also known as M20, it lies about 5,000 light-years away toward the nebula rich constellation Sagittarius.
A star forming region in the plane of our galaxy, the Trifid illustrates three different types of astronomical nebulae; red emission nebulae dominated
by light emitted by hydrogen atoms, blue reflection nebulae produced by dust reflecting starlight, and dark nebulae where dense dust clouds appear in silhouette.
The bright red emission region, roughly separated into three parts by obscuring dust lanes, lends the Trifid its popular name. But in this sharp, colorful scene,
the red emission is also surrounded by the the telltale blue haze of reflection nebulae. Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, below and left of the emission nebula's center,
appear in Hubble Space Telescope close-up images of the region. The Trifid Nebula is about 40 light-years across. (Ref. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130725.html)