Hubble Composite Image of the Star Forming Region in the
Tarantula Nebula Image Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Lennon and E. Sabbi
(ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, S. E. de Mink, R. van der Marel, T.
Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), N. Bastian (Excellence Cluster,
Munich), L. Bedin (INAF, Padua), E. Bressert (ESO), P. Crowther
(University of Sheffield), A. de Koter (University of
Amsterdam), C. Evans (UKATC/STFC, Edinburgh), A. Herrero (IAC,
Tenerife), N. Langer (AifA, Bonn), I. Platais (JHU), and H. Sana
(University of Amsterdam) Launched on 24 April 1990, the Hubble
Space Telescope has provided many extraordinary images of the
universe (Eagle Nebula, Antennae Galaxies, Asteroid Collision).
In celebration of the 22nd Anniversary, astronomers have
released this image of the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus, or NGC
2070) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This is an intense star
forming region containing several million stars ranging in age
from several thousand years to 25 million years old. The image
is approximately 650 light-years a