In the Center of the Trifid Nebula . ... Credit Copyright: Daniel Lopez ( Observatorio del Teide Explanation: Clouds of glowing gas mingle with lanes of dark dust in the Trifid Nebula , a star forming region toward the constellation of Sagittarius . ... The Trifid, also known as M20 , is only about 300,000 years old, making it among the youngest emission nebula known. The nebula lies about 9,000 light years away and part pictured above spans about 10 light years. ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...