APOD 3.3 In The Center of The Trifid Nebula

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130128.html

This picture shows the incredibly complex and brightly colored Trifid Nebula. The various clouds of colorful gas are in close proximity with the constellation Sagittarius. There are three promininces in this nebula which intersect at the middle, thus giving the nebula it's name. This nebula is also known as M20 and is only estimated to be about 300,000 years old- which compared to the length of time since the origin of the universe, is quite short. This beautiful nebula is 9,000 light years away and is 10 light years across. This is one of the most fascinating nebulas I have ever seen.