If not, perhaps you should reconsider. Astronomer Charles Messier first discovered the Trifid Nebula in 1764. The name means “three-lobed,” referring to the nebula’s general shape. However, it wasn’t until the Hubble Space Telescope got a good look at it in the ‘90s that we spotted the Trifid’s most enchanting feature. That would be the space unicorn. In the same way that you might look up to find a cloud that looks like an elephant or a duck, one corner of this particular cloud of gas has taken on the shape of a unicorn. An ear and nose are visible, draped by its flowing mane, as the great beast looks away from us. And of course there’s the horn, extending .75 light years long and created by a stellar jet.
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