ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Chile has captured the sharpest image ever of the Tarantula Nebula and its rich surroundings.
This image from the 256-megapixel OmegaCAM camera on ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope shows the Tarantula Nebula and its rich surroundings in great detail. It reveals a cosmic landscape of star clusters, glowing gas clouds and the scattered remains of supernova explosions. Image credit: ESO.
The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus and NGC 2070, is located in the southern constellation Dorado, about 170,000 light-years away in one of our closest galactic neighbors, the Large Magellanic Cloud.
The bright glow of this stunning nebula was first recorded by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1751.
At the core of the nebula lies a giant star cluster whose dense core, called R136, contains some of the most massive and luminous stars known.
Another star cluster in the nebula is the much older Hodge 301, in which at least 40 stars are estimated to have exploded as supernovae, spreading gas throughout the region.
One example of a supernova remnant is the superbubble SNR N157B, which encloses the open star cluster NGC 2060.
This cluster was first observed by British astronomer John Herschel in 1836, using an 18.6-inch reflector telescope at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
On the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, on the lower right-hand side, it is possible to identify the location of the famous supernova SN 1987A.
Moving to the left-hand side of the nebula, one can see a bright open star cluster called NGC 2100, which displays a brilliant concentration of blue stars surrounded by red stars.
NGC 2100 was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop in 1826 while working in Australia, using his self-built 9-inch reflecting telescope.
At the center of the image is the star cluster and emission nebula NGC 2074, another massive star-forming region discovered by John Herschel.
Taking a closer look one can spot a dark seahorse-shaped dust structure — the ‘Seahorse of the Large Magellanic Cloud.’
This is a gigantic pillar structure roughly 20 light-years long. It is condemned to disappear over the next million years; as more stars in the cluster form, their light and winds will slowly blow away the dust pillars.
