Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 30, 2019

Messier 20 and 21

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 30, 2019 is “Messier 20 and 21,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Stanislav Volskiy , Chilescope Team). The original explanation runs about 137 words.

From the explanation

“The beautiful Trifid Nebula, also known as Messier 20, is easy to find with a small telescope in the nebula rich constellation Sagittarius. About 5,000 light-years away, the colorful study in cosmic contrasts shares this well-composed , nearly 1 degree wide field with open star cluster Messier 21 (top left).”

— APOD editors, December 30, 2019

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 30, 2019
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Stanislav Volskiy , Chilescope Team
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 137 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Star clusters

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 30 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 30, 2019 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2019-december-30-messier-20-and-21

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.