From The European Southern Observatory
This image is a three-color composite of the N 70 nebula, a "Super Bubble" in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way system, located in the southern sky at a distance of about 160,000 light-years. N 70 is a luminous bubble of interstellar gas, about 300 light-years in diameter. It was created by winds from hot, massive stars and supernova explosions and the interior is filled with tenuous, hot expanding gas. An object like N70 provides astronomers with an excellent opportunity to explore the connection between the life cycles of stars and the evolution of galaxies. Very massive stars profoundly affect their environment. They stir and mix the interstellar clouds of gas and dust, and they leave their mark in the compositions and locations of future generations of stars and star systems.
This photograph is based on a composite of three images taken through three different filters: B (429 nm; FWHM 88 nm; 3 min; here rendered as blue), V (554 nm; FWHM 111 nm; 3 min; green) and Ha (656 nm; FWHM 6 nm; 3 min; red) during a period of 1.0 arcsec seeing. The field shown measures 6.8 arcmin x 6.8 arcmin and the images were recorded in frames of 2048 pixels x 2048 pixels, each measuring 0.2 arcsec. North is up; East is left.
Based on press release with ESO PR Photo 40d/99
Catalog #: Photo 40d/99
Target Name: N 70 Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Last Modified On: Sunday, December 16, 2000