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

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

   Explanation: In the center 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 neighboring 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)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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