TrevorW
25-01-2009, 12:49 PM
Target: NGC2070 Tarantula Nebula
Camera: Canon 350d Unmodified
Exposure Capture: DSLR Capture
Scope: Stellarvue 80ED f/7
Mount: EQ6 Pro
Exposure Setting: Prime focus, ISO800 ICNR off Daylight WB
Exposures: 15 x 3 minutes taken 24/1/09
Seeing: Average
Guiding: Orion Starshoot Autoguider using PHD
Focus: DSLR Focus
Stacking: DSS
Processing: PS7, PS CS3, PSP
Info: Situated in the Dorado
The Tarantula Nebula (also known as 30 Doradus, or NGC 2070) is an H II region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_II_region) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Magellanic_Cloud). It was originally thought to be a star, but in 1751 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Louis_de_Lacaille) recognized its nebular nature.
The Tarantula Nebula has an apparent magnitude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_magnitude) of 8. Considering its distance of about 180,000 light years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_year), this is an extremely luminous non-stellar object. Its luminosity is so bright that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula), the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows. In fact, it is the most active starburst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starburst_%28astronomy%29) region known in the Local Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Group) of galaxies. It is also the largest and most active such region in the Local Group with an estimated diameter of 200 pc.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_Nebula#cite_note-Lebouteilleretal2008-2) The nebula resides on the leading edge of the LMC, where ram pressure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_pressure) stripping, and the compression of the interstellar medium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_cloud) likely resulting from this, is at a maximum. At its core lies the extremely compact cluster of stars (~2.5 pc diameter)[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_Nebula#cite_note-Lebouteilleretal2008-2) - R136a (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R136a) - that produces most of the energy that makes the nebula visible.
The closest supernova since the invention of the telescope, Supernova 1987A (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN1987A), occurred in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula.
See also the star cluster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_cluster) in Tarantula catalogued as Hodge 301 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodge_301).
External links
Tarantula Nebula page at SEDS (http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html)
APoD 23 August 2003 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030823.html)
30 Doradus image gallery (http://www.30doradus.org/30dor_images.html)
Tarantula Nebula at ESA/Hubble (http://www.spacetelescope.org/bin/images.pl?searchtype=freesearch&string=Tarantula)
Tarantula Nebula with the MPG/ESO WFI. 1 sqr. degree zoomable image (http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/phot-50-06.html)
NGC2070 (http://www.dsi-astronomie.de/NGC2070.html)
Camera: Canon 350d Unmodified
Exposure Capture: DSLR Capture
Scope: Stellarvue 80ED f/7
Mount: EQ6 Pro
Exposure Setting: Prime focus, ISO800 ICNR off Daylight WB
Exposures: 15 x 3 minutes taken 24/1/09
Seeing: Average
Guiding: Orion Starshoot Autoguider using PHD
Focus: DSLR Focus
Stacking: DSS
Processing: PS7, PS CS3, PSP
Info: Situated in the Dorado
The Tarantula Nebula (also known as 30 Doradus, or NGC 2070) is an H II region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_II_region) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Magellanic_Cloud). It was originally thought to be a star, but in 1751 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Louis_de_Lacaille) recognized its nebular nature.
The Tarantula Nebula has an apparent magnitude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_magnitude) of 8. Considering its distance of about 180,000 light years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_year), this is an extremely luminous non-stellar object. Its luminosity is so bright that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula), the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows. In fact, it is the most active starburst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starburst_%28astronomy%29) region known in the Local Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Group) of galaxies. It is also the largest and most active such region in the Local Group with an estimated diameter of 200 pc.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_Nebula#cite_note-Lebouteilleretal2008-2) The nebula resides on the leading edge of the LMC, where ram pressure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_pressure) stripping, and the compression of the interstellar medium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_cloud) likely resulting from this, is at a maximum. At its core lies the extremely compact cluster of stars (~2.5 pc diameter)[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_Nebula#cite_note-Lebouteilleretal2008-2) - R136a (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R136a) - that produces most of the energy that makes the nebula visible.
The closest supernova since the invention of the telescope, Supernova 1987A (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN1987A), occurred in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula.
See also the star cluster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_cluster) in Tarantula catalogued as Hodge 301 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodge_301).
External links
Tarantula Nebula page at SEDS (http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n2070.html)
APoD 23 August 2003 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030823.html)
30 Doradus image gallery (http://www.30doradus.org/30dor_images.html)
Tarantula Nebula at ESA/Hubble (http://www.spacetelescope.org/bin/images.pl?searchtype=freesearch&string=Tarantula)
Tarantula Nebula with the MPG/ESO WFI. 1 sqr. degree zoomable image (http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/phot-50-06.html)
NGC2070 (http://www.dsi-astronomie.de/NGC2070.html)