TRAPPIST First Light Image of the Tarantula Nebula
This first light image of the TRAPPIST national telescope at La Silla shows the Tarantula Nebula, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) — one of the galaxies closest to us. Also known as 30 Doradus or NGC 2070, the nebula owes its name to the arrangement of bright patches that somewhat resembles the legs of a tarantula. Taking the name of one of the biggest spiders on Earth is very fitting in view of the gigantic proportions of this celestial nebula — it measures nearly 1000 light-years across! Its proximity, the favourable inclination of the LMC, and the absence of intervening dust make this nebula one of the best laboratories to help understand the formation of massive stars better. The image was made from data obtained through three filters (B, V and R) and the field of view is about 20 arcminutes across.
Credit:
TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO
About the Image
| Id: | eso1023a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 8 June 2010, 12:00 |
| Related releases: | eso1023 |
| Size: | 2016 x 2038 px |
About the Object
| Name: | 30 Doradus, NGC 2070, Tarantula Nebula |
| Type: | • Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region • X - Nebulae |
| Distance: | 170000 light years |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 5h 38m 37.99s |
| Position (Dec): | -69° 5' 41.67" |
| Field of view: | 21.90 x 22.14 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 2.3° left of vertical |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical B |
445 nm | TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope |
| Optical V |
551 nm | TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope |
| Optical R |
658 nm | TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope |
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