Full Frame 100% size image

FSQ106EDXIII F5 Takahashi APO + STL11K CCD & 8CFW on Paramount ME
Ha 7nm
2.5 Hrs (30 * 300 sec)
Bin: 1 x 1
-30C chip temp, darks and flats
Image scale = 3.5 a/p
Guide Camera: SBIG Internal Guide

The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light years from the Earth.
In the sky of Earth, it spans 90' by 40', translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years.

The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'.
The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion)
and a dark nebula (the apparent 'gaps' within the emission nebula that cause the trifid appearance; these are also designated Barnard 85).

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagoon_Nebula, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifid_Nebula