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Explanation: Clouds of glowing gas mingle with dust lanes in the Trifid Nebula, a star forming region toward the constellation of Sagittarius. In the center, the three prominent dust lanes that give the Trifid its name all come together. Mountains of opaque dust appear on the right, 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, also known as M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest emission nebulae known. The nebula lies about 9,000 light years away and the part pictured here spans about 10 light years. This image was created with the 0.8-meter IAC80 telescope on the Canary Islands of Spain.
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說明: 位在北天人馬座裡的三裂星雲 (Trifid Nebula)是個著名的恆星形成區,它內部的明亮雲氣和塵埃雲帶糾結成團。在星雲中央,三道巨大的塵埃暗帶會聚在一起,使這個星雲以三裂星雲為名。此外,影像右方有山峰狀的濃密塵埃雲,以及散佈在星雲各處的塵埃絲帶,而影像中央的那顆大質量恆星提供了三裂星雲發出輝光的能源。三裂星雲又名M20,年齡大約是三十萬年,是已知最年輕的發射星雲之一。三裂星雲距離我們大約有 9000 光年遠,上圖所呈現的區域大約有 10 光年寬。上面影像是由西班牙屬加那利群島上的 0.8米 IAC80 望遠鏡所拍攝。
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说明:炽热的气体云混杂着黑暗的尘埃带出现在三裂星云内,该星云是人马座内的一个恒星形成区域。在其中央,三道黑暗的尘埃带述说了三裂星云名称的来历。巨大的不透明尘埃出现在影像右侧,而在整个星云中都能看到灯丝状的尘埃。在中央附近可以看到单独的一颗大质量恒星,这也造就了三裂星云部分光芒。三裂星云也被称为M20,年龄只有30万年,这让它成为迄今为止最年轻的发射星云。该星云距离我们9,000光年远,上面的影像只是星云的一部分,只覆盖了10光年。上面影像是由西班牙加那利群岛上的0.8米的IAC80望远镜拍摄。