In the Heart of the Tarantula Nebula
Credit & Copyright: ESA,
NASA,
ESO, & Danny LaCrue
Explanation:
In the heart of monstrous
Tarantula Nebula lies huge bubbles of energetic gas,
long filaments of dark dust, and unusually massive stars.
In the center of this heart, is a
knot of stars so dense that it was once thought to be a single star.
This star cluster, labeled as
R136 or NGC 2070,
is visible just above the center of the
above image and home to a great number of hot young stars.
The energetic light from these stars continually ionizes nebula gas,
while their energetic particle
wind blows
bubbles and defines intricate filaments.
The
above representative-color picture of this great
LMC nebula details its tumultuous center.
The Tarantula Nebula, also known as the
30 Doradus nebula, is one of the
largest
star-formation regions known, and has been creating
unusually strong episodes of star formation every few million years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
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rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.