From The European Southern Observatory
30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070), is in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), some 170,000 light-years away. It is one of the largest known star-forming regions in the Local Group of Galaxies. It was first catalogued as a star, but then recognized to be a nebula by the French astronomer A. Lacaille in 1751-52. The Tarantula Nebula is the only extra-galactic nebula that can be seen with the unaided eye. It contains in t he center the open stellar cluster R 136 with many of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars known.
The composite image is based on three exposures through different optical broadband filters (B: 429 nm central wavelength; 88 nm FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum), V: 554/111 nm, R: 655/165 nm). All were taken with the 2048 pixel x 2048 pixel CCD detector with a field of view of 6.8 x 6.8 acrmin square; each pixel measures 24 µm square. North is up and East is to the left.
Based on press release with ESO PR Photo 05a/00
Catalog #: Photo 05a/00
Target Name: Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Last Modified On: Saturday, December 16, 2000