Portrait of a dramatic stellar crib*

One square degree image of the Tarantula Nebula and its surroundings. The spidery nebula is seen in the upper-centre of the image. Slightly to the lower-right, a web of filaments harbours the famous supernova SN 1987A. Many other reddish nebulae are visible in the image, as well as a cluster of young stars on the left, known as NGC 2100. Technical information: the image is based on observations carried out by Joao Alves (Calar Alto, Spain), Benoit Vandame and Yuri Beletsky (ESO) with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at the 2.2-m telescope on La Silla. These data consist of a 2x2 WFI mosaic in the B- and V-bands, and in the H-alpha and [OIII] narrow bands. The data were first processed with the ESO/MVM pipeline by the Advanced Data Products (ADP) group at ESO.

This image is available as a mounted image in the ESOshop.

#L

Credit:

ESO/R. Fosbury (ST-ECF)

About the Image

Id:eso0650a
Type:Observation
Release date:21 December 2006
Related releases:eso1401, eso0650
Size:7872 x 7861 px

About the Object

Name:30 Doradus, NGC 2070, NGC 2100, SN 1987A, Tarantula Nebula
Type:Local Universe : Nebula
Distance:170000 light years
Constellation:Dorado
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Large JPEG
40.8 MB
Screensize JPEG
752.1 KB

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1280x1024
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1600x1200
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1920x1200
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2048x1536
2.4 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):5 38 37.99
Position (Dec):-69° 5' 41.67"
Field of view:62.40 x 62.31 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.1° left of vertical