Composite infrared and radio image of 30 Doradus

This composite image shows the star-forming region 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula. The background image, taken in the infrared, is itself a composite: it was captured by the HAWK-I instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), shows bright stars and light, pinkish clouds of hot gas. The bright red-yellow streaks that have been superimposed on the image come from radio observations taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), revealing regions of cold, dense gas which have the potential to collapse and form stars. The unique web-like structure of the gas clouds led astronomers to the nebula’s spidery nickname.

Credit:

ESO, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Wong et al., ESO/M.-R. Cioni/VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

About the Image

Id:eso2209a
Type:Observation
Release date:15 June 2022, 19:15
Related releases:eso2210, eso2209
Size:4983 x 3930 px

About the Object

Name:30 Doradus, Tarantula Nebula
Type:Local Universe : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Constellation:Dorado
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

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3.7 MB
Screensize JPEG
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Coordinates

Position (RA):5 38 45.17
Position (Dec):-69° 4' 37.05"
Field of view:8.32 x 6.56 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 90.1° right of vertical