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The Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
A Hubble Space Telescope composite image of a portion of the Tarantula Nebula's central cavity illustrates the profound effect new stars can have on their environment. The young stars of 30 Doradus are acting something like cosmic, decidedly non-eco-friendly light bulbs. Each star cranks out a dazzlingly high wattage in the form of optical and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. That flood of UV light and the gusts of hot particles also flowing freely from these stars have hollowed out a bubble in the gaseous nebula.
While the nebula's gas and dust seem to have withered under that stellar glare, interesting features arise at the edges of the bubble. This exposed rim has been compressed into sharp ridges. Resembling the surface of a choppy ocean, these uneven edges curve, branch, and form awkward peaks that jut back into the bubble's punishing environment. Only with Hubble's exceptional resolution could the real intricacy and three-dimensionality of these features be revealed.
The high-resolution Hubble data have been combined with ground-based observations that trace hydrogen gas (in red) and oxygen (in blue). Together, this region can be appreciated as a microcosm of the larger nebula: a swirling palette of gas, dust, and stars in the midst of tumultuous upheaval.
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)
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 12499: 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, HST>WFC3/UVIS, and ESO 2.2m Telescope>WFI
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.October 2011 (HST), and January 2006 (ESO)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS: F775W (SDSS i) ESO: OIII/8 and H-alpha/7
- 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 many separate exposures made by the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope along with ESO 2.2m ground-based observations. In total, two filters were used to sample narrow wavelength emission and two filters were used to sample broadband wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Red: ESO H-alpha (656nm) Green: ESO average of H-alpha+[O III] Blue: ESO [O III] (502nm) Luminosity*: ACS/WFC F775W + WFC3/UVIS F775W * The higher-resolution, black & white Hubble image and the lower-resolution, color ESO images were combined using a technique that takes luminosity (brightness) information from the black and white ACS/WFC3 image and color information from the composite ESO image. This preserves all of the higher-resolution detail from the Hubble data while rendering a color image representing the physical processes in this active region of space.
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
