Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2021 January 10
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Star Cluster R136 Breaks Out
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, & F. Paresce (INAF-IASF), R. O'Connell (U. Virginia) et al.

Explanation: In the centre of nearby star-forming region lies a huge cluster containing some of the largest, hottest, and most massive stars known. These stars, known collectively as star cluster R136, part of the Tarantula Nebula, were captured in the featured image in visible light in 2009 through the Hubble Space Telescope. Gas and dust clouds in the Tarantula Nebula, have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds and ultraviolet radiation from these hot cluster stars. The Tarantula Nebula lies within a neighbouring galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud and is located a mere 170,000 light-years away.

Tomorrow's picture: phase the moon

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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