Tarantula Nebula
The most active starburst region in the Local Group.
The Tarantula Nebula, also cataloged as 30 Doradus, sits in the Large Magellanic Cloud, marking that galaxy’s south-east corner as seen from Earth. Its name comes from the way bright gas filaments and dusty tendrils spread outward, resembling a tarantula’s legs. This nebula is the most energetic starburst region known in the Local Group.
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille first spotted it during an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope from 1751 to 1753. He listed it as the second of his “Nebulae of the First Class,” describing it as a diffuse patch 20 arcminutes across with no visible stars. Johann Bode later placed it in his 1801 Uranographia atlas and cataloged it as number 30 in the constellation Xiphias or Dorado, noting it was nebulous rather than assigning a magnitude. The name Tarantula Nebula came into use in the mid-20th century, based on deep photographic images. While 30 Doradus once referred to a star or the central cluster NGC 2070, it now generally means the entire nebula.
With an apparent magnitude of 8 and a distance of about 160,000 light-years, the Tarantula Nebula is extremely luminous for a non-stellar object. If it were as close as the Orion Nebula, it would cast visible shadows. Its estimated diameter ranges from 650 to 1,860 light-years, making it one of the largest H II regions in the Local Group, though NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy may be bigger. The nebula lies on the leading edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, where ram pressure and compression of interstellar material are strongest.
At its heart lies the star cluster NGC 2070, which contains the dense grouping R136. That cluster provides most of the energy lighting up the nebula. With an estimated mass of 450,000 solar masses, NGC 2070 may eventually become a globular cluster. The Tarantula Nebula also holds other clusters, such as the older Hodge 301, whose most massive stars have already exploded as supernovae.
Supernova 1987A, the closest supernova observed since the telescope was invented, occurred on the nebula’s outskirts. A prominent supernova remnant surrounds the open cluster NGC 2060, though many other remnants are hard to pick out in the complex gas. In 2021, astronomers found VFTS 243, an X-ray quiet black hole—the first such object identified outside the Milky Way. It has at least nine solar masses and orbits a 25-solar-mass blue giant companion in a circular path.
Quick Facts
- Credit
- TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO
- Epoch
- J2000
- Ra
- 05 · 38 · 38
- Dec
- -69 · 05.7
- Dist Ly
- 160 ± 10 k
- Dist Pc
- 49 ± 3 k
- Appmag V
- +8
- Constellation
- Dorado
- Radius Ly
- 931
- Notes
- In LMC
- Names
- NGC 2070, Doradus Nebula, Dor Nebula, 30 Doradus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Tarantula Nebula was observed by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille during an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope between 1751 and 1753. He cataloged it as the second of the 'Nebulae of the First Class', describing it as a diffuse nebula 20' across. Johann Bode included it in his 1801 Uranographia star atlas and listed it as number 30 in the constellation 'Xiphias or Dorado', noting it to be nebulous rather than giving a stellar magnitude. The name Tarantula Nebula arose in the mid-20th century from its appearance in deep photographic exposures.
30 Doradus has often been treated as the designation of a star or of the central star cluster NGC 2070, but is now generally treated as referring to the whole nebula area. The nebula resides on the leading edge of the LMC, where ram pressure stripping and compression of the interstellar medium is at a maximum. It is one of the largest H II regions in the Local Group, though other regions such as NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy could be larger.
At its centre is the star cluster NGC 2070, which includes the compact concentration of stars known as R136 that produces most of the energy making the nebula visible. The estimated mass of the cluster is 450,000 solar masses, suggesting it will likely become a globular cluster in the future. The Tarantula Nebula also contains several other star clusters, including the much older Hodge 301, whose most massive stars have already exploded in supernovae.
Reader's Guide
The Tarantula Nebula is significant as the most active starburst region known in the Local Group. Its luminosity is so great that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, it would cast visible shadows. The nebula hosted the closest supernova observed since the invention of the telescope, Supernova 1987A, which occurred in its outskirts. A prominent supernova remnant encloses the open cluster NGC 2060, though remnants of many other supernovae are difficult to detect in the complex nebulosity.
A notable discovery within the Tarantula Nebula is VFTS 243, an x-ray quiet black hole—the first outside the Milky Way Galaxy that does not radiate strongly. This black hole has a mass of at least nine solar masses and is in a circular orbit with its 25 solar mass blue giant companion. The nebula's central cluster NGC 2070, with its compact core R136, drives the nebula's visibility and is expected to evolve into a globular cluster. The Tarantula Nebula remains a key object for studying star formation, supernovae, and black holes in an extragalactic setting.
Did You Know?
- The Tarantula Nebula was first observed by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille between 1751 and 1753.
- If it were as close as the Orion Nebula, the Tarantula Nebula would cast visible shadows.
- Supernova 1987A, the closest supernova since the telescope's invention, occurred in its outskirts.
- VFTS 243 is the first x-ray quiet black hole discovered outside the Milky Way.
More in Caldwell Objects 1-16
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