Three huge intersecting dark lanes of interstellar dust make the Trifid Nebula one of the most recognisable star birth regions in the night sky. The dust, silhouetted against gas and illuminated by starlight, cradles the bright stars at the heart of the Trifid. Also known as Messier 20 or NGC 6514, this nebula lies within our own Milky Way Galaxy. This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image show a close-up view of the centre of the Trifid Nebula. See http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/opo0417g/
