"The new image focuses on a zoomed-in portion of the nebula at the end of one of its four large dust lanes."
The Hubble Space Telescope has released a new image of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), a star-forming region located approximately 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The image was taken to mark the 36th anniversary of Hubble’s launch on April 24, 1990. Separately, on April 23, 2026, a commercial Earth-observation satellite captured a close-up photograph of the Hubble Space Telescope itself, which was released on the anniversary date.
New Observations of the Trifid Nebula
Hubble observed the Trifid Nebula on April 20, 2026, using its Wide Field Camera 3. This instrument, which offers a wider field of view and greater sensitivity than previous instruments, was installed during Servicing Mission 4 in 2009.
Comparison with 1997 Data
Hubble first photographed the same section of the nebula in 1997 using its Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The new observation, taken 29 years later, allows astronomers to measure changes in the region over time. By comparing the images, researchers have observed the expansion of a jet of gas and plasma ejected by a protostar. This data is used to measure the outflow speed and determine the energy levels injected by the young star into its surrounding environment.
Image Description
The new image focuses on a zoomed-in portion of the nebula at the end of one of its four large dust lanes. Key features include:
- Herbig-Haro Object HH-399: A jet of energetic plasma ejected by a young protostar. This feature appears as a horn-like spike in the image, which some observers have compared to a marine “sea lemon” or “sea slug.”
- Counter Jet: A second jet, visible as jagged orange and red lines in the lower right of the image.
- Second Jet Candidate: A thick streak of bright orange and red material that may indicate a jet from another newly formed star.
- Gas and Dust Structures: The region has been sculpted for at least 300,000 years by stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation from massive stars located outside the field of view. This radiation causes gas to glow and clears surrounding dust, creating bright blue areas where dust is thinnest and dark areas where dust is densest.
- Stellar Evolution: Fully formed stars appear as bright orange objects where surrounding gas and dust have been cleared. The remaining stars embedded in the nebula are expected to clear their own material over the next few million years.
Hubble Space Telescope Imaged from Orbit
On April 23, 2026, a day before the anniversary, the WorldView Legion 4 satellite, operated by Vantor, captured a close-up image of the Hubble Space Telescope from a distance of 61.8 km. The satellite, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2024, resolved features on Hubble as small as 4.0 cm.
The photograph, released on April 24, clearly shows Hubble’s cylindrical body, thermal shielding, solar arrays, and open aperture door. WorldView Legion 4 is part of a constellation of six satellites operating at approximately 518 km altitude.
Mission Background and Context
- Launch and Operations: The Hubble Space Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, and is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope and mission operations. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations.
- Scientific Output: Since its launch, Hubble has made over 1.7 million observations of approximately 55,000 astronomical objects. Data from the telescope has contributed to more than 23,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications by about 29,000 astronomers worldwide. Hubble data is publicly available in the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.
- Collaboration: Since 2022, researchers have regularly combined Hubble observations with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The newly operational Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has also captured an image of the Trifid Nebula. Future observations from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may provide additional context for Hubble findings.