APOD: The Cosmic Web of the Tarantula Nebula (2011 Jan 11)

[APOD Robot]

The Cosmic Web of the Tarantula Nebula

Explanation: It is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy orbiting our Milky Way galaxy, the region's spidery appearance is responsible for its popular name, the Tarantula nebula. This tarantula, however, is about 1,000 light-years across. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way's Orion Nebula, only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image shown in scientific colors. The spindly arms of the Tarantula nebula surround NGC 2070, a star cluster that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars known, visible in blue on the right. Since massive stars live fast and die young, it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula also lies near the site of the closest recent supernova.

<< Previous APOD

Discuss Any APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

[owlice]

Ooooh, one of my favorite nebulae! Thank you!

[Ann]

I must express my strongest dislike of the idea of "scientific colors".

Ann

[Chris Peterson]

I must express my strongest dislike of the idea of "scientific colors".

I agree, the terminology and associated link are poor. The caption should say that we are seeing this in the light of Ha, SII, and OIII, displayed using the Hubble palette.

[chilimac45]

I love the " scientific colors." This is much more pleaseing than the "flase color" of the red spectrum.

Please show more like this...

Thanks

A Daily follower for over 10 years....

Chilimac

[neufer]

I must express my strongest dislike of the idea of "scientific colors".

I agree, the terminology and associated link are poor. The caption should say that we are seeing this in the light of Hα, SII, and OIII, displayed using the Hubble palette.

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

By the light, (By the light, By the light),
Of Hα, SII, & OIII, displayed using the Hubble palette.
It's no Lagoon (No Lagoon, No Lagoon)
Tarantula's buffoon'll lampoon.

[JuanAustin]

Is there any evidence of a black hole remnant in the large or small Magellanic clouds? As satellite galaxies, is it implied there should be if the were canabalized at some point in the past?

[casusbellus]

Here's what I don't understand: click on the "massive stars" sublink. Look at how concentrated those central stars are, and, we're told, they are massive too. So...why doesn't their gravitational attraction collapse them (cosmically) quickly into, say, a black hole? Are they rotating? If not, why do they have "billions of years" to become a globular cluster (sub-sublink "star cluster R136")? The primordial nebular gases apparently condensed gravitationally to produce the stars in the first place. So why doesn't the process continue???

[orin stepanek]

Another Zoom movie; neat

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

[six1o]

"Here's what I don't understand: click on the "massive stars" sublink. Look at how concentrated those central stars are, and, we're told, they are massive too. So...why doesn't their gravitational attraction collapse them (cosmically) quickly into, say, a black hole? Are they rotating? If not, why do they have "billions of years" to become a globular cluster (sub-sublink "star cluster R136")? The primordial nebular gases apparently condensed gravitationally to produce the stars in the first place. So why doesn't the process continue???"


For one, just because those stars appear to be close together, does not necissarilly mean they are. You are looking at a 2D picture, you have no concept of depth here. Those stars that appear close may be hundreds of thousands of lightyears away from each other in distance, but seem close because of their apparent brightness.

[casusbellus]

"For one, just because those stars appear to be close together, does not necissarilly mean they are. You are looking at a 2D picture, you have no concept of depth here. Those stars that appear close may be hundreds of thousands of lightyears away from each other in distance, but seem close because of their apparent brightness."

No way. In today's APOD it says the entire Tarantula is only 1000 l-yrs across. And the tight collection of stars is only a fraction of the whole nebula, so ? maybe 100 l-yrs at the most. Why 500+ stars, some 50X solar mass, inside such a volume don't collapse or spiral in together over brief cosmic times, is my question.

[neufer]

Another Zoom movie; neat

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

[Céline Richard]

Actually, i prefer the Nebula Not the spider!!

Céline

[neufer]

Actually, i prefer the Nebula Not the spider!!

Be sure to keep a shoe handy in any event.

[skippy]

Another HO HUM pic we have all seen before

This below is fresh and new and very interesting.

Click to view full size image

[bystander]

Another HO HUM pic we have all seen before

This below is fresh and new and very interesting.

Old news, you are slow, that image was reported yesterday.
http://asterisk.apod.com/vie ... 30#p140830

Oh, and FYI: the current APOD image is relatively new: created on 2010 Nov 27.
I seriously doubt that you, or most APOD viewers, have seen this image before.

[DavidLeodis]

Nice image. It was taken in the light of Ha, SII, and OIII and coloured using the Hubble palette. From what I recall of previous APODs the actual colours used by photographers using the Hubble palette to represent Ha, SII, and OIII can vary (I may be wrong). Does anyone know what colours in this APOD correspond to the Ha, SII, and OIII filters Thanks for any help.

[neufer]

Nice image. It was taken in the light of Ha, SII, and OIII and coloured using the Hubble palette. From what I recall of previous APODs the actual colours used by photographers using the Hubble palette to represent Ha, SII, and OIII can vary (I may be wrong). Does anyone know what colours in this APOD correspond to the Ha, SII, and OIII filters Thanks for any help.

The deep red Sulfur SII line is kept red.
The red Hydrogen Balmer H-α line is green.
The green Oxygen OIII line is blue.

Hubble palette Enhanced Color:

<<The final image depicts red light from hydrogen atoms as green, red light from sulfur ions (sulfur atoms with one electron removed) as red, and green light from doubly-ionized oxygen (oxygen atoms with two electrons missing) as blue. These color reassignments enhance the level of detail visible in the image, because otherwise the red light from hydrogen and that from sulfur would be hard to tell apart.>>

[DavidLeodis]

Thanks neufer for your help, which is appreciated.

[Céline Richard]

Actually, i prefer the Nebula Not the spider!!

Be sure to keep a shoe handy in any event.

People would wonder what i do with my shoe handly (waiting for the monster) at the university
Actually, the Tarantula Nebula is too huge for my shoe
And when i see little spiders, i make it moving and my cat does the rest of the job. If not, i have to look for one shoe, indeed...

Céline