Hubble Space Telescope Observes Outskirts of Tarantula Nebula | Sci.News
A new Hubble image features a dusty yet sparkling scene from the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies.
This Hubble image shows the Tarantula Nebula, which lies about 163,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Dorado. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Murray.
“The Large Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy situated about 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Despite being only 10-20% as massive as the Milky Way Galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud contains some of the most impressive star-forming regions in the nearby Universe.”
“The scene pictured here is on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest and most productive star-forming region in the local Universe.”
The Tarantula Nebula is also known as NGC 2070 or 30 Doradus.
Its bright glow was first recorded by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1751.
At its heart are some of the most massive stars known, a few with more than 150 times the mass of our Sun.
Star formation in the Tarantula Nebula started tens of millions of years ago, though it was not confined to a specific region.
Instead, as enough gas accumulated, pockets of star birth burst to life erratically, like the finale of a fireworks show.
“At its center, the Tarantula Nebula hosts the most massive stars known,” the astronomers said.
“The section of the nebula shown here features serene blue gas, brownish-orange dust patches and a sprinkling of multicolored stars.”
“The stars within and behind the dust clouds appear redder than those that are not obscured by dust.”
“Dust absorbs and scatters blue light more than red light, allowing more of the red light to reach our telescopes and making the stars appear redder than they are.”
“This Hubble image incorporates ultraviolet and infrared light as well as visible light.”
Using Hubble observations of dusty nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud and other galaxies, the astronomers plan to study these distant dust grains, helping to understand the role that cosmic dust plays in the formation of new stars and planets.
