Tarantula Nebula: A crowded neighborhood

Taking advantage of the capacities of the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile, astronomers captured this very detailed new image of the Tarantula Nebula and its numerous neighbouring nebulae and star clusters. The Tarantula, which is also known as 30 Doradus, is the brightest and most energetic star-forming region in the Local Group of galaxies.

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Credit: ESO

Glowing brightly about 160,000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the most spectacular feature of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way. This image from VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile shows the region and its rich surroundings in great detail. It reveals a cosmic landscape of star clusters, glowing gas clouds and the scattered remains of supernova explosions.

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The Tarantula Nebula is 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The VLT Survey Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory has caputered a new image of the nebula and its surrounding that they are touting as the “sharpest image ever of this entire field.”

Zooming into the Tarantula Nebula, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud.