Tarantula (NGC 2070) in the LMC - The nebula around 30 Doradus (NGC 2070) in...

Tarantula (NGC 2070) in the LMC - The nebula around 30 Doradus (NGC 2070) in the LMC - The Tarantula Nebula (or 30 Bream) is the largest star-forming region of the Great Magellan Cloud. It is located 170,000 light years ago in the constellation Dorado (southern hemisphere). At the center of this nebula, the open cluster of R136 stars, clusters of hot and massive stars. Image obtained with Siding Spring's 3.9m telescope. The brightest cluster of stars in this picture was believed until recently to contain a single, uniquely massive object with the mass equivalent to 1000 suns, and was named as a star, 30 Doradus. Sophisticated image analysis techniques have been used to show that 30 Doradus is a very compact group of stars, many of which are massive, but not unimaginably so. The radiation from this star cluster is sufficient to excite a huge cloud of hydrogen gas in its vicinity so that it glows with its distinctive red colour. This picture is essentially a one minute exposure. A longer exposure would show that the curving tendrils of nebulosity are the brightest parts of the huge Tarantula nebula, one of the largest star - forming regions known anywhere