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These three bright nebulae are often featured in telescopic tours of the constellation Sagittariusand the crowded starfields of the central Milky Way.

In fact, 18th century cosmic touristCharles Messier cataloged two of them; M8, the large nebula left of center, and colorful M20 near the bottom of the frame. The third, NGC 6559, is right of M8, separated from the larger nebula by dark dust lanes. All three are stellar nurseries about five thousand light-years or so distant. The expansive M8, over a hundred light-years across, is also known as the Lagoon Nebula. M20’s popular moniker is the Trifid.

In the composite image, narrowband data records ionized hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms radiating at visible wavelengths. The mapping of colors and range of brightness used to compose this cosmic still life were inspired by Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers.

Just right of the Trifid one of Messier’s open star clusters,M21, is also included on the telescopic canvas.

Object Names: M8, M20, M2, NGC 6559

Image Type: Astronomical

Credit: NASA, AndrewCampbell

Time And Space

What is the difference between a supernova and a hypernova?

That’s a really good question, and the simple answer is that a hypernova produces way more energy than a standard supernova. Supernovae are known as being bright explosions from massive stars, and their remnant is usually a neutron star.

Hypernovae, however, more commonly produce black holes due to being from stars more massive than those that cause supernovae. Often time, they appear brighter too, which is why an alternate name for hypernovae is “superluminous supernovae”. Hypernovae are sometimes also the cause of gamma-ray bursts, a dangerous release of energy so high that it will fry anything in its path.

Thanks for asking! :)

Andromeda glowing in infrared.

Crescent Nebula

Galaxy Trio Arp 286:

NGC 5566 (bottom), NGC 5569 (left), & NGC 5560 (center)

Comet Catalina Emerges : Comet Catalina is ready for its close-up. The giant snowball from the outer Solar System, known formally as C/2013 US10 tails, making it an impressive object for binoculars and long-exposure cameras. The featured image was taken last week from the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa. Sky enthusiasts around the world will surely be tracking the comet over the next few months to see how it evolves. via NASA

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“Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex Area Of The Milky Way” by Martin Campbell on Flickr.

M63 // Sunflower Galaxy