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NGC2070
NGC2070 - Tarantula Nebula
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The Tarantula Nebula (also known as
30 Doradus, or NGC 2070) is an H II region in the
Large Magellanic Cloud. It was originally thought
to be a star, but in 1751 Nicolas Louis de
Lacaille recognized its nebular nature.
The Tarantula Nebula has an
apparent magnitude of 8. Considering its distance
of about 180,000 light years, this is an extremely
luminous object. Its luminosity is so bright that
if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula,
the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows. In fact,
it is the most active starburst region known in
the Local Group of galaxies. It is also the
largest and most active such region in the Local
Group with an estimated diameter of 200 pc. The
nebula resides on the leading edge of the LMC,
where ram pressure stripping, and the compression
of the interstellar medium likely resulting from
this, is at a maximum. At its core lies the
extremely compact cluster of stars (~2.5 pc
diameter) - R136a - that produces most of the
energy that makes the nebula visible.
The closest supernova since the
invention of the telescope, Supernova 1987A,
occurred in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia)
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Information
 | Instrument: William Optics FLT132 |
| Exposure: 3 x 5 min for each LRGB |
| Camera: SBIG STL11Km |
| Date: 24/12/08 |
| Exposure start: 1:30 |
| Location: Thorpdale, Vic |
| Autoguider: William Optics Megrez88FD + Meade DSI2
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| Enhancement: CCD Soft, Adobe Photoshop CS3, |
Notes: Fighting a lot of dew on the guide scope, tracking
was 9.5/10 |
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