|
Credit & Copyright: M. Schirmer, T. Erben, M. Lombardi
(IAEF Bonn),
European Southern Observatory
Explanation:
The
Tarantula Nebula is more than 1,000 light-years across -
a giant emission nebula within our
neighboring galaxy
the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Inside this cosmic arachnid lies a central young cluster of massive
stars, cataloged as
R136, whose intense radiation and strong winds
have helped energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments.
In this
impressive color mosaic
of images from the
Wide-Field Imager
camera on ESO's 2.2 meter telescope at La Silla Observatory, other
young star clusters can be seen still within the
nebula's grasp.
Also notable among the denizens
of the Tarantula zone are several
dark clouds
invading the nebula's outer limits as well as
the dense cluster
of stars NGC 2100 at the extreme left edge of the
picture.
The small but expanding remnant of
supernova 1987a, the closest supernova
in modern history,
lies just off the lower right corner of the field.
The rich mosaic's field of view covers an area on the sky
about the size of
the full moon in the southern
constellation Dorado.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Tarantula Nebula - NGC 2070 - 30 Doradus - LMC
Publications with words: Tarantula Nebula - NGC 2070 - 30 Doradus - LMC
See also: