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.
