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Ground-based Image of Tarantula Nebula
This view shows part of the stellar nursery called the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small neighbor of the Milky Way. At the center lies the brilliant star VFTS 102. This view includes both visible-light and infrared images from the Wide Field Imager at the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile, and the 4.1-meter infrared VISTA telescope at Paranal, Chile. VFTS 102 is the fastest rotating star ever found.
- Release DateDecember 5, 2011
- Science ReleaseFastest Rotating Star Found in Neighboring Galaxy
- CreditsEuropean Southern Observatory (ESO), M.-R. Cioni (VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey), and the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit
Related Images & Videos
Artist's View of Fastest Spinning Star VFTS 102
This is an artist's concept of the fastest rotating star found to date. The massive, bright young star, called VFTS 102, rotates at a million miles per hour, or 100 times faster than our Sun does. Centrifugal forces from this dizzying spin rate have flattened the star into an...
Formation of a Fast-Rotating Star
This diagram shows one theory for the creation of the fastest spinning star found to date. The more massive star was once a member of a binary pair. Its rapidly aging companion star evolves and expands, spilling material onto the less evolved star. The star robbed angular...
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Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
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Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
