Denizen of the Tarantula Nebula
Explanation:
The star cluster at lower right,
cataloged as Hodge 301, is a
denizen of
the Tarantula Nebula.
An evocative nebula in the southern sky,
the sprawling cosmic Tarantula is
an energetic star forming region some 168,000 light-years distant
in our neighboring galaxy the
Large Magellanic Cloud.
The stars within Hodge 301 formed together tens of millions of years ago
and as the massive ones quickly exhaust their nuclear fuel they
explode.
In fact, the red giant stars of Hodge 301 are rapidly approaching
this violent final phase of stellar evolution -
known as a supernova.
These supernova blasts send material and
shock waves back into the nebular
gas to create the Tarantula's glowing filaments also visible in
this Hubble Space Telescope Heritage image.
But these spectacular stellar death explosions signal star birth
as well, as the blast waves condense gas and dust to ultimately
form the next generation of stars
inside the Tarantula Nebula.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
