The Tarantula in the Large Cloud (Brian Diettrich)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Dorado (Dor) · Contains: 30 Dor Cluster · NGC 1910 · NGC 1916 · NGC 1918 · NGC 1983 · NGC 1986 · NGC 2001 · NGC 2015 · NGC 2033 · NGC 2037 · NGC 2042 · NGC 2044 · NGC 2050 · NGC 2052 · NGC 2060 · NGC 2069 · NGC 2070 · NGC 2074 · NGC 2081 · NGC 2098 · NGC 2100 · Tarantula Nebula

The Tarantula in the Large Cloud, Brian Diettrich

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The Tarantula in the Large Cloud

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The Tarantula in the Large Cloud

On November nights in New Zealand, the Large Magellanic Cloud circles the south celestial pole high in the southern sky. Its brightest object, the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus), is visible with the eye as a fuzzy puff of light. A satellite galaxy, the LMC is the brightest galaxy in our skies, and on particularly dark nights it offers a rich view of many extra-galactic clusters and nebulae. The image shows the south-eastern LMC, focused around 30 Doradus but spotted with many open clusters, globular clusters, and nebulae all located within the LMC.

The wonderous Tarantula Nebula has invited many rich descriptions. Writing from 1874, John Herschel described it as “one of the most singular and extraordinary objects which the heavens present” (Kanipe 2023:330). Stephen James O’Meara referred to it as “one of the most profound sights of the night sky”, and noted that from its centre “sprawl several crablike arms and legs, all extending in seemingly animated ways” (2002:474). Hartung wrote of “extensive clouds of luminous bluish haze contrasted with dark areas, and concentrated around a central star-like object in a series of well-defined hoops” (1995:283). The brightest object in the LMC, the Tarantula is also the largest H II region in the entire Local Group. Formerly called the Loop Nebula, the name Tarantula comes from photographs in the mid-twentieth century (Kanipe 2023:334) that showed its internal 'legs' of gas and dust.

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	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
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	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Deep sky
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	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
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Other
Unknown

The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

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The Tarantula in the Large Cloud

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