M20 - The Trifid Nebula
Copyright 2001 Hap Griffin
This photo is compromised by a slight movement of the telescope during the exposure as evidenced by the elongated star images. However, the Trfid Nebula is one of my favorite objects so I wanted to post even this "less than perfect" image until I can re-shoot it.
The nebula gets its name from the fact that the main cloud is tri-sected into three main sections. The beautiful red and blue colors come from the regions of the nebula where hydrogen is glowing (red) and reflecting starlight (blue). The distance to the Trifid is approximately 5200 light years, although there is a large disparity between various sources.
Date/Location:
May 24, 2001 Griffin/Hunter
Observatory Bethune, SC
Instrument: Meade f6.3 10" LX-200
Focal Ratio: f6.3
Guiding: Auto - SBIG ST4 through Orion ST80
Conditions: Visually clear, but with moderate high level water
vapor
Weather: 50 F, Light breeze
Film: Kodak Elite Chrome 200
Exposure: 1 x 40 minutes
Filters: None
Processing: Finished in Photoshop 5