Labelled view of the Tarantula Nebula: This annotated map identifies several prominent features in an image of the Tarantula Nebula (also known as 30 Doradus), a prominent region of star formation located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) the nearest neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way. The image was produced from numerous exposures by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys through a filter which isolates red and near-infrared light. Individual starsSome prominent stars are labeled in yellow. Some of these are identified in the Henry Draper Catalog (HD). The stars labeled 2MASS appear in the catalog of objects identified by the 2-Micron All Sky Survey, relatively brighter in infrared light and faint enough in visible light not to appear in catalogues such as HD based on visual observations. Particularly significant stars identified are: 30 Dor #16, a “runaway” star ejected from the prominent star cluster 30 Doradus, and VFTS #102, the star with the fastest known rotation rate. Background galaxiesSeveral background galaxies are visible in the image, labeled in green, though they appear very small because they are much more distant than the Large Magellanic Cloud. A large amount of gas and dust is associated with the LMC and the Tarantula nebula in particular, obscuring most of the light from more distant sources. Near the edges of the nebula, some galaxies are visible, where the obscuration is not enough to completely block the more distant objects. These galaxies can provide an absolute reference for measuring the positions and motions of the stars within the Tarantula and the LMC. The motion of these objects is extremely difficult to measure precisely because of the vast distance to the LMC. However with the fine resolution of Hubble’s cameras it is possible to measure the motions in images taken some time apart. The background galaxies are immensely farther away, so their positions within the field of view is essentially fixed, providing a frame of reference against which the positions and motions of the closer objects in the Tarantula and LMC can be compared. Star clustersNumerous star clusters are scattered in the Tarantula Nebula region, labeled in blue. They formed at different times from giant clouds of gas and dust. Characteristics of the clusters as a whole and their constituent stars enable astronomers to determine their relative ages. The most massive, hottest stars emit copious high-energy radiation, pushing away, compressing and sculpting the remaining gas and dust, triggering another generation of star formation. Dark cloudsDense, cooler, dusty clouds obscure the light from more distant stars appearing dark against stars and glowing gas behind them, here labeled in blue. The smallest, densest dark clouds are known as Bok globules, in which new stars are likely forming. The rectangles labelled b1, b2, b3, b4 correspond to the four close-ups in image heic1206b.

Name: 30 Doradus, Tarantula Nebula
Type: Local Universe : Star : Grouping : Cluster : OpenLocal Universe : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Category: NebulaeStar Clusters
Release date: 17 April 2012, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Lennon and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, S. E. de Mink, R. van der Marel, T. Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), N. Bastian (Excellence Cluster, Munich), L. Bedin (INAF, Padua), E. Bressert (ESO), P. Crowther (Sheffield), A. de Koter (Amsterdam), C. Evans (UKATC/STFC, Edinburgh), A. Herrero (IAC, Tenerife), N. Langer (AifA, Bonn), I. Platais (JHU) and H. Sana (Amsterdam)

Hubble view of NGC 2366: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made detailed observations of the dwarf galaxy NGC 2366. While it lacks the elegant spiral arms of many larger galaxies, NGC 2366 is home to a bright, star-forming nebula and is close enough for astronomers to discern its individual stars.

Name: NGC 2363, NGC 2366
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : EmissionLocal Universe : Galaxy : Size : Dwarf
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Camelopardalis
Distance: 10 million light years
Release date: 10 May 2012, 12:00
Credit: NASA & ESA

Ground-based, wide-field view of NGC 2366: This image from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 shows a wide field of view around the dwarf galaxy NGC 2366.

Name: NGC 2363, NGC 2366
Type: Local Universe : Nebula : Appearance : EmissionLocal Universe : Galaxy : Size : Dwarf
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Camelopardalis
Distance: 10 million light years
Release date: 10 May 2012, 12:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2

Hubble view of NGC 3314: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an incredibly detailed image of a pair of overlapping galaxies called NGC 3314. While the two galaxies look as if they are in the midst of a collision, this is in fact a trick of perspective: the two are in chance alignment from our vantage point.

Name: NGC 3314, NGC 3314A, NGC 3314B
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Hydra
Distance: 150 million light years
Release date: 14 June 2012, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and W. Keel (University of Alabama)

The area around NGC 3314 (ground-based view): This image shows a wide field of view around the overlapping galaxy pair NGC 3314. While the two galaxies look as if they are in the midst of a collision, this is in fact a trick of perspective: the two are in chance alignment from our vantage point.

Name: NGC 3314, NGC 3314A, NGC 3314B
Type: Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Category: Galaxies
Constellation: Hydra
Distance: 150 million light years
Release date: 14 June 2012, 15:00
Credit: NASA, ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2 (Acknowledgement: Davide de Martin)