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Grayscale Image of the Tarantula Nebula
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.05h 38m 42.36s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-69° 6' 3.24"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Dorado
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.Approximately 170,000 light-years (52,000 parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.This image is roughy 14.4 arcminutes (662 light-years or 204 parsecs) wide.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.This image combines many exposures from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) from the HST proposal Grayscale Image of the Tarantula Nebula: D. Lennon and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, S. E. de Mink, R. van der Marel, T. Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), N. Bastian (Excellence Cluster, Munich), L. Bedin (INAF, Padua), E. Bressert (ESO), P. Crowther (University of Sheffield), A. de Koter (University of Amsterdam), C. Evans (UKATC/STFC, Edinburgh), A. Herrero (IAC, Tenerife), N. Langer (AifA, Bonn), I. Platais (JHU), and H. Sana (University of Amsterdam). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/UVIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.October 2011
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS: F775W (SDSS i)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Tarantula Nebula, 30 Doradus, 30 Dor, NGC 2070
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Emission Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- Release DateApril 17, 2012
- Science ReleaseHubble’s 22nd Anniversary Image Shows Turbulent Star-making Region
- Credit
This image is a composite of separate exposures made by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
