Thursday, May 26, 2011

New ESO Image of Star-Forming Region R 136 in the LMC

New ESO Image of Star-Forming Region R 136 in the LMC
Click on the image for full resolution (3.36 MB)

This view shows part of the very active star-forming region around the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small neighbour of the Milky Way. At the exact centre lies the brilliant but isolated star VFTS 682 and to its lower right the very rich star cluster R 136. The origins of VFTS are unclear - was it ejected from R 136 or did it form on its own? The star appears yellow-red in this view, which includes both visible-light and infrared images from the Wide Field Imager at the 2.2-meter MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla and the 4.1-meter infrared VISTA telescope at Paranal, because of the effects of dust.
The full resolution image weighs 3.36 MB, so please be patient when downloading!
Credit: ESO/M.-R. Cioni/VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey
Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

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