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Tarantula Nebula

A giant star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus) is a large H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 light-years away. Its name comes from glowing filaments that look like a spider's legs.

Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille observed it in the 1750s. It is extremely luminous for a non-stellar object, with an apparent magnitude of about 8 at that distance.

Quick Facts

Credit
TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO
Constellation
Dorado
Names
  • NGC 2070
  • Doradus Nebula
  • Dor Nebula
  • 30 Doradus

More in Galactic Structures & Nebulae

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Elsewhere in Cosmos Codex

M87* · Black Holes & ExoticVoyager 1 · Missions & TelescopesMercury · Planets & MoonsTitan · Planets & MoonsRigel · StarsAlpha Centauri · Stars

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