|
Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis,
Don Goldman
Explanation:
An alluring sight in southern skies, the
Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen in this
deep and detailed
telescopic mosaic.
Recorded with broadband and narrowband filters, the scene spans
some 5 degrees or 10 full moons.
The narrowband filters are designed to transmit only light
emitted by hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
Ionized by energetic starlight, the atoms emit their
characteristic light as electrons are
recaptured and the atoms transition to a lower energy state.
As a result, in this image the LMC seems covered with
its own clouds of ionized gas
surrounding its 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 H II regions,
the Tarantula Nebula
is the large star forming region at the left.
The largest satellite of our Milky Way Galaxy, the LMC is about
15,000 light-years across and lies a mere 160,000 light-years away toward
the constellation Dorado.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: LMC
Publications with words: LMC
See also: