Hubble image archive
Full Trifid Nebula (Rubin Image with Hubble Close-up)
At left is a complete view of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20 or M20) captured by the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. A white box in the lower-left portion of the pink region shows the area NASA's Hubble Space Telescope targeted, and Hubble’s new image is featured at ri...
- Date
- Sep 8, 2026
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- full-trifid-nebula-rubin-image-with-hubble-close-up
At left is a complete view of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20 or M20) captured by the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. A white box in the lower-left portion of the pink region shows the area NASA's Hubble Space Telescope targeted, and Hubble’s new image is featured at right.
Rubin’s field of view is approximately 56 light-years across, while Hubble’s is about four light-years across.
The color assignments in the images vary based on the filters in the telescopes’ cameras. Rubin takes broadband images, which capture the full visible spectrum to show natural colors in red, green, and blue. For this image, Hubble captured narrowband images of specific chemical elements. Sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen were mapped to red, green, and blue, respectively, to make this composite image.
Image Details
About the Object
| R.A. Position | 18:02:23 |
|---|---|
| Dec. Position | -23:01:48 |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Distance | 5,000 light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is 2.7 arcmin across (about 4 light-years) |
About the Data
| Data Description | These images were created with Hubble data from proposal: 18209 (C. Britt). |
|---|---|
| Instrument | WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | February 20-23, 2026 |
| Filters | Hubble image on right: F502N (OII), F656N (H-alpha), F673N (SIII) |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov