Astronomy Photo of the Day
Posted By admin On January 11, 2011 @ 7:02 pm In Photo Essays | Comments Disabled
[1]
The Cosmic Web of the Tarantula Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Marcelo Salemme [2]
Explanation: It is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud [3], a small satellite galaxy orbiting our Milky Way galaxy, the region [4]‘s spidery appearance is responsible for its popular name, the Tarantula nebula [5]. This tarantula, however, is about 1,000 light-years [6] across. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way’s Orion Nebula [7], only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons [8]) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image [9] shown in scientific colors [10]. The spindly arms of the Tarantula [11] nebula surround NGC 2070 [12], a star cluster [13] that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars [14] known, visible in blue on the right. Since massive stars live fast and die young [15], it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula [16] also lies near the site of the closest recent supernova [17].
Article printed from Recorder Online: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com
URL to article: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/01/11/nasa-photo-of-the-day/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/tarantula_salemme.jpg
[2] Marcelo Salemme: http://www.astromgs.com.ar/04-Historia.htm
[3] Large Magellanic Cloud: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081219.html
[4] the region: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOZUR67efjw
[5] Tarantula nebula: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/multiwavelength_astronomy/multiwavelength_museum/30dor.html
[6] light-years: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
[7] Orion Nebula: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050918.html
[8] full moons: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051113.html
[9] the above image: http://www.astromgs.com.ar/fotos/ngc2070_Ha_SII_OIII_112010.html
[10] scientific colors: http://hubblesource.stsci.edu/services/articles/2005-02-10/
[11] Tarantula: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
[12] NGC 2070: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995AstL...21..663S
[13] star cluster: http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18009
[14] massive stars: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070506.html
[15] live fast and die young: http://rebel-without-a-cause.blogspot.com/
[16] cosmic Tarantula: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051212.html
[17] recent supernova: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951027.html
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