Skymonsters

Astrophotography by Nicola Montecchiari

Tarantula Nebula

Emission Nebula Tarantula Nebula
Date/Place2007-05-15 at Farm Hakos, Namibia
CoordinatesAR 05h 38m 22s DEC -69° 17' 33"
InstrumentSkywatcher 80ED
CameraModified 350D
Integration45 minutes, 5 minutes per frame (RGB)
Description

The image frames one of the most spectacular and rich regions of the southern sky, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), an irregular dwarf galaxy satellite of our Milky Way, visible in the constellation Dorado.

  • Color tones: The reddish and magenta hues are generated by the emission of hydrogen gas excited by the powerful ultraviolet radiation of hot young stars, while the bluish and whitish components highlighted in the Tarantula reflect the light of massive stars and the scattering of light by dust.
  • Filamentary structure: The Tarantula Nebula displays a complex network of entangled filaments resembling the legs of a tarantula (hence the name), carved over millennia by strong stellar winds and past supernova explosions.
  • Depth and contrast: Thanks to the long exposure and the purity of the imaging sky, the finest details of the dark dust clouds overlapping the diffuse glow of the satellite galaxy clearly emerge.
CommentThis is my first attempt at this region, and I have to say it was a kind of tough. The object was very low in the southern sky on May so I have to start shooting it as soon as it gets dark. The region is unique as it gives the chance to look into another galaxy, the Grat Magellanic Cloud, which is supposed to orbit around the Milky Way. The Tarantula Nebula emission region has a very bright core and as you can see, it is not totally an emission nebula, but there is a fair amount of blue hue all around and inside of it.