This nebula was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. It is a combination of an open cluster and emission nebula. The name means "divided into three lobes". In the center is a type O7.5III star with a mass of 20 Suns. surrounded by at least 3,100 young stars. This photo was taken by me in June of 2014. Technical Data: RA: 18h 02m 23s Dec: -23º 01' 48" Constellation: Sagittarius Apparent magnitude: +6.3 Apparent size: 28' Distance: 5,200 ly