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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae and Deep-Sky Objects / Trifid Nebula (M20)

Trifid Nebula (M20) Position and Visibility Tonight

M20

Where is M20 right now?

M20 is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.
Twilight begins at 18:26 local time. At that moment, M20 will be 29° above the horizon toward the south.
Open the interactive guide to M20’s position and path tonight

M20 visibility on 2026-09-07

M20 Visible from sunset until early morning

M20 rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
M20 rise13:21
Moonset14:5615°
Sunset17:2729°
Civil sunset17:5530°
M20 transit18:0530°
Twilight start18:2629°
Astronomical observing session begins18:5828°
M20 set22:49
Moonrise, 21% illuminated 23:21-6°
Astronomical observing session ends03:13-51°

Track M20 Position Throughout the Night

← 7 September 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M20 changing position in the night sky.

M20 - Trifid Nebula

The Trifid Nebula (M20) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The nebula is named for its three-lobed appearance, caused by dark dust lanes that divide the nebula into three parts.

M20 spans about 21 light-years across and is illuminated by a group of hot, young stars. The nebula is approximately 5,200 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.3, making it visible with binoculars or a small telescope.

M20 — Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M20 — blue-filter image
Blue images highlight younger, hotter stars that emit strongly at blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M20 — red-filter image
Red images reveal older, cooler stars and emission nebulae glowing strongly in hydrogen-alpha light.

DSS Near-Infrared

M20 — near-infrared image
Near-infrared images penetrate dust that obscures visible light and reveal hidden structures.

DSS Composite Image

M20 — composite color image
DSS color images combine blue, red and often near-infrared exposures into a composite view.

The images come from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under contract with NASA, using data from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M20

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameM20
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M20 coordinates18.04503, -22.97189
Center coordinates18.04503, -22.97189

Trifid Nebula (M20) Passage Through Night

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Current position of Trifid Nebula (M20)

Time13:29
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation1°
Azimuth120°
Here you can see the current position of M20 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.

When Is Trifid Nebula (M20) Visible Throughout the Year?


M20 will remain visible until December 6, when it moves too close to the Sun and temporarily disappears from the night sky. Time
DateMon, 7 September 2026
Twilight start18:54
Twilight end03:07
Twilight duration8h 13m
Rise13:18
Set22:45
Elevation at transit30°
Transit time18:01
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 18h 02m 42s", Dec: -22° 58' 18s
Magnitude9
ConstellationSagittarius
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of M20, including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when M20 is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of M20

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension18h 02m 42s
Declination-22° 58′ 19″
Magnitude8.50
ConstellationSagittarius
Elevation1.2°
Azimuth120.5°

Data Credits

The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.

For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.