Stunning image of the Tarantula Nebula and its surroundings!

Click on the image for full resolution (18.2 MB)

One square degree image of the Tarantula Nebula and its surroundings. The spidery nebula is seen in the upper-centre of the image. Slightly to the lower-right, a web of filaments harbours the famous supernova SN 1987A. Many other reddish nebulae are visible in the image, as well as a cluster of young stars on the left, known as NGC 2100.Technical information: the image is based on observations carried out by Joao Alves (Calar Alto, Spain), Benoit Vandame and Yuri Beletski (ESO) with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at the 2.2-meter telescope on La Silla. These data consist of a 2x2 WFI mosaic in the B- and V-bands, and in the H_ and [OIII] narrow bands. The data were first processed with the ESO/MVM pipeline by the Advanced Data Products (ADP) group at ESO. The spectacular colour composite image resulting from these observations was made by Bob Fosbury (ST-ECF).
The full resolution image weighs 18.2 MB, so please be patient when downloading!
Credit: ESO