Hubble Probes Interior of Tarantula Nebula
About This Image
Like lifting a giant veil, the near-infrared vision of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovers a dazzling new view deep inside the Tarantula Nebula. Hubble reveals a glittering treasure trove of more than 800,000 stars and protostars embedded inside the nebula.
These observations were obtained as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Program. When complete, the program will produce a large catalog of stellar properties, which will allow astronomers to study a wide range of important topics related to star formation.
This near-infrared view reveals newly formed stars that are often embedded in clouds of dust, and only the near-infrared light can pass through these clouds.
The first results from this program have been published in the Astronomical Journal and are being presented at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society at National Harbor, Md.
Also known as 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula is a raucous region of star birth that resides 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small, satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
Because it contains the nearest observable super-cluster of stars, the nebula is a nearby laboratory for seeing close-up a firestorm of star birth that was much more common in the early universe. Hubble can resolve individual stars and many red protostars as well as aging red giants and supergiants, giving astronomers new insights into the stars' birth and evolution.
The huge Hubble mosaic, assembled from 438 separate images, spans 600 light-years. Because of the mosaic's exquisite detail and sheer breadth, astronomers can follow how episodes of star birth migrate across the region in space and time.
Star formation in the Tarantula Nebula started tens of millions of years ago, though it was not confined to a specific region. Instead, as enough gas accumulated, pockets of star birth burst to life erratically, like the finale of a fireworks show.
"Because of the mosaic's exquisite detail and sheer breadth, we can follow how episodes of star birth migrate across the region in space and time," said Elena Sabbi, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., and the principal investigator of the observing team.
The new infrared Hubble mosaic is revealing a multitude of pockets of star formation. These regions will likely merge into larger clusters.
The Tarantula Nebula's vigorous star birth may be fueled partly by gas stripped from a small nearby galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud. One question researchers hope to answer is whether supermassive stars always form in clusters, or whether they can be born in isolation.
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | 30 Doradus |
| Object Description | Emission Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud |
| R.A. Position | 05h 38m 42.4s |
| Dec. Position | -69° 6' 3.35" |
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | Approximately 170,000 light-years (52,000 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The ACS/WFC3 data are from the following HST proposals: 12499: D. Lennon (ESA), E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, R. van der Marel, T. Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), L. Bedin (INAF, Padua), C. Evans (Royal Observatory Edinburgh), H. Sana (STScI/ESA), N. Langer (University of Bonn), S. de Mink (Carnegie Institution of Washington), P. Crowther (University of Sheffield), A. Herrero (IAC, Tenerife), N. Bastian (USM, Munich), and E. Bressert (Australia Telescope National Facility); 12939: E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), A. Aloisi, J. Anderson, K. Gordon, A. Koekemoer, R. van der Marel, N. Panagia, and C. Christian (STScI), M. Boyer (NASA/GSFC), C. Evans (Royal Observatory Edinburgh), J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin, Madison), E. Grebel (Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg), S. de Mink (Carnegie Institution of Washington), S. Larsen (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen), D. Lennon (ESA), M. Tosi (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna), and D. Zaritsky (University of Arizona) |
| Instrument | HST>ACS/WFC, HST>WFC3/IR, and HST>WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | October 2011 - April 2013 |
| Filters | ACS/WFC: F775W (i) WFC3/UVIS: F775W (i) WFC3/IR: F110W (J), F160W (H) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | The images in this release are composites of separate exposures obtained with the ACS and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad and narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F775W (i) Green: F110W (J) Red: F160W (H) |
| Compass Image |  |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |