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Credit & Copyright: John Gleason
Explanation:
An alluring sight
in southern skies, the
Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen here through narrowband filters.
The filters are designed to transmit only light
emitted by ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
Ionized by energetic starlight, the atoms emit their
characteristic light as electrons are
recaptured and the atom transitions to a lower energy state.
As a result, this false color image of the LMC seems covered with
shell-shaped clouds of ionized gas
surrounding
massive, young stars.
Sculpted by the strong stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation,
the glowing clouds, dominated by emission from hydrogen,
are known as
H II
(ionized hydrogen) regions.
Itself composed of many overlapping shells,
the Tarantula Nebula
is the large star forming region at top center.
A satellite of our Milky Way Galaxy, the LMC is about 15,000 light-years
across and lies a mere 180,000 light-years away in the constellation
Dorado.
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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: star formation - LMC - HII region - Tarantula Nebula
Publications with words: star formation - LMC - HII region - Tarantula Nebula
See also: