📍 NGC 261
➡️ 200,000 light-years
🏠 Tucana constellation

This emission nebula, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, blooms a brilliant red in our next #meetyourcosmicneighbors image!

NGC 261 is home to numerous stars hot enough to irradiate surrounding hydrogen gas, causing the cloud to emit a pinkish-red glow.

The region contains molecular clouds, which are extremely dense and compact regions of gas and dust. Here, cradled in the cold areas of molecular hydrogen, is where most stars form.

The combined power of Hubble’s instruments form a wide spectral coverage that helped capture the star-forming properties within the nebula.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and L. C. Johnson (Northwestern University); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

#nasa #hubble #space #stars #nebula #science #astronomy #universe #cosmos

Spiders aren’t always what we want for neighbors, but the nearby Tarantula Nebula is an exception! 🕷️

This star-forming site has been caught in Hubble’s web many times, in many wavelengths of light.

It calls the Large Magellanic Cloud home – this is one of our Milky Way’s closest companions, a relatively nearby galaxy that orbits our galaxy, and is about 160,000 light-years away.

The Tarantula Nebula is the brightest stellar nursery in our "Local Group" of galaxies, and it contains some of the most massive and hottest stars known.

#meetyourcosmicneighbors #nasa #hubble #space #science #nebula #stars #astronomy #spider #tarantula

All aboard! It’s time for a trip around our cosmic neighborhood, with Hubble as your tour guide.

Now through August 30, Hubble will unveil new images that explore nearby galaxies and cosmic objects.

First up, we have N11! This newly released view shows a bubbling region of stars about 160,000 light-years away, within the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) – a dwarf galaxy that orbits around our Milky Way.

Its cotton-candy-like clouds of gas are ionized by a burgeoning host of young and massive stars, giving the complex a cherry-pink appearance.

Since it’s one of the most energetic regions in the LMC, astronomers used Hubble to examine various portions of its dynamic environment.

Hope you’re ready to explore more of our corner of the cosmos! Follow along with #meetyourcosmicneighbors.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and J. M. Apellaniz (Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC/INTA Inst. Nac. de Tec. Aero.); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

#nasa #hubble #galaxy #nebula #space #stars #science #astronomy #universe

Tall, dark, and handsome 🌟

The nebula IRAS 05437+2502 billows out among the bright stars and dark dust clouds that surround it in this #hubbleclassic image.

It's located in the constellation of Taurus, close to the central plane of our Milky Way Galaxy.

The image of this nebula actually came about as part of a “snapshot” survey. These are observations that are fitted into Hubble’s busy schedule if and when possible. Because of this, the nebula hasn't been studied in great detail and its exact nature remains unclear.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai and NASA

#nasa #hubble #classic #nebula #stars #space #science #astronomy #universe

The spindly, spidery filaments seen throughout this image show why we call this cosmic object the Tarantula Nebula!
This #hubbleclassic view only shows a small portion of the sprawling star-forming region. It's located about 170,000 light-years away and resides within the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is a small satellite galaxy that orbits our home Milky Way Galaxy.
Home to the most massive stars ever seen, the Tarantula Nebula is also known as 30 Doradus and Caldwell 103.
Plus, it's home to an interesting structure of "bubbles" at lower left, which make up the so-called Honeycomb Nebula!

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgment: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)
#nasa #hubble #classic #nebula #stars #space #science #astronomy #universe