Chandra Release - November 10, 2011

Visual Description: Tarantula Nebula

The X-ray and infrared image of the Tarantula Nebula showcases a stunning celestial scene, filled with intricate textures, vibrant colors, and various forms.  In the center of the image, there are pockets of bright blue gaseous material that fill up pockets in the burnt orange and gold filamentary material.  The texture of the nebula appears to be wispy and delicate, like a spider's web, with strands of gas and dust intertwined in an intricate pattern.   This star-forming region, also called 30 Doradus, is one of the largest located close to the Milky Way and is found in a neighboring galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 2,400 massive stars in the center of 30 Doradus are producing intense radiation and powerful winds as they blow off material. Multimillion-degree gas detected in X-rays (in blue) by the Chandra X-ray Observatory comes from shock fronts -- similar to sonic booms – formed by these stellar winds and by supernova explosions. This hot gas carves out gigantic bubbles in the surrounding cooler gas and dust shown here in infrared emission from the Spitzer Space Telescope (in orange).