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Also known as 30 Doradus or NGC 2070, the nebula owes its name to the arrangement of bright patches that somewhat resembles the legs of a tarantula. Taking the name of one of the biggest spiders on Earth is very fitting in view of the gigantic proportions of this celestial nebula — it measures nearly 1000 light-years across! Its proximity, the favourable inclination of the LMC, and the absence of intervening dust make this nebula one of the best laboratories to help understand the formation of massive stars better.
Bicolour narrowband version here
A three panel mosaic in the light of H-alpha here
Image composed with R,G,B and synthetic Luminance
Data obtained by Dr. Steven Mazlin and Dr. Jack Harvey, SSRO Prompt
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