The Tarantula Nebula, which got its name because its glowing filaments of dust resemble the legs of a spider, was thought originally to be a star. However, in 1751 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille recognised its nebular nature. It lies at a distance of 160,000 lightyears from Earth.
It is the most active region of star formation known in the Local Group of galaxies, as well as one of the largest, spanning 600 lightyears and contains more than 800,000 stars and protostars. The newly formed stars are frequently hidden within clouds of dust and can only be seen in infrared wavelengths.
Interestingly, it is an object of learning for astronomers studying the starburst activity that was more common in the earlier stages of the universe’s development. The nebula’s surroundings resemble the intense conditions of the early universe in terms of dust content and rate of star formation.
Maybe you could be looking at our world the way it was formed!
Pigment inks on 271gsm satin paper, professionally hand-bonded onto a 5mm cast acrylic panel. Currently available in five sizes:
- 60″ (w) × 37.5″ (h)
- 48″ (w) × 30″ (h)
- 36″ (w) × 22.5″ (h)
- 24″ (w) × 15″ (h)
- 12″ (w) × 7.5″ (h)
Each acrylic print comes ready to hang.
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Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Lennon and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, S. E. de Mink, R. van der Marel, T. Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), N. Bastian (Excellence Cluster, Munich), L. Bedin (INAF, Padua), E. Bressert (ESO), P. Crowther (University of Sheffield), A. de Koter (University of Amsterdam), C. Evans (UKATC/STFC, Edinburgh), A. Herrero (IAC, Tenerife), N. Langer (AifA, Bonn), I. Platais (JHU), and H. Sana (University of Amsterdam)
