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> The nebula around 30 Doradus (NGC 2070) in the LMC
The nebula around 30 Doradus (NGC 2070) in the LMC
author: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin Images/Novapix
reference: a-neb20-70008
Image Size 300 DPI: 40 * 51 cm
The brightest cluster of stars in this picture was believed until recently to contain a single, uniquely massive object with the mass equivalent to 1000 suns, and was named as a star, 30 Doradus. Sophisticated image analysis techniques have been used to show that 30 Doradus is a very compact group of stars, many of which are massive, but not unimaginably so. The radiation from this star cluster is sufficient to excite a huge cloud of hydrogen gas in its vicinity so that it glows with its distinctive red colour. This picture is essentially a one minute exposure. A longer exposure would show that the curving tendrils of nebulosity are the brightest parts of the huge Tarantula nebula, one of the largest star-forming regions known anywhere.
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