This
huge Hubble Space Telescope mosaic, spanning a width of 600
light-years, shows a star factory of more the 800,000 stars being born.
The stars are embedded inside the Tarantula Nebula. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Sabbi/STScI. Hi-Res 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.
Space Science Telescope Institute
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