This image of the Trifid Nebula was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope 29 years after the telescope first imaged the nebula in 1997. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
A new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows a spectacular nebula in all its glory. (And yes, it does kind of look like a cosmic sea slug.)
What is it?
The Trifid Nebula, more formally known as Messier 20, is a star-forming region located about 5,000 light-years away.
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The Hubble Space Telescope first looked at this nebula about 29 years ago in 1997. In looking at the nebula again all these years later, Hubble can show us how the nebula itself has changed over time, but it can also reveal new details as Hubble’s camera has improved since taking its original image. During the space shuttle mission STS-125 in 2009, a of astronauts installed a better camera on Hubble with a wider field of view and improved sensitivity.
Why is it incredible?
While this is a massive cloud of dust and gas where stars are created, in this new image, the nebula looks a bit like a sea slug, some have pointed out.
In the image, the nebula has a “body” made out of dust and gas and even a “horn” or “antenna” that is actually part of a plasma jet ejected by a young protostar in the nebula.