TRAPPIST–South first light image of the Tarantula Nebula

This first light image of the TRAPPIST–South 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
Distance:170000 light years
Constellation:Dorado
Category:Nebulae

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Coordinates

Position (RA):5 38 37.99
Position (Dec):-69° 5' 41.67"
Field of view:21.90 x 22.14 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 2.3° left of vertical