The Tarantula Nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud

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The Tarantula Nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud

[Public Domain] 3 Apr 2020 Dylan O'Donnell
CATEGORY : Astrophotography
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Of all the things you can photograph in space, the “Tarantula” nebulae region in the Large Magellanic Cloud is truly the weirdest. It may also be the object that most resembles a virus with it spiny shape and tendrils. Unlike every other nebulae you see photographed from Earth, this is the only one that is so big and distant that you can photograph it from another galaxy. Every other nebula photo I share is taken from our galaxy, the Milky Way. This thing is way across in the next neighbourhood. Apart from the small red nebulae “jewels” you see in galaxy photos, this massive expanse is the only photo you can get with both nebulae and galactic stars all mixed in together equally in one photo.

Because of it’s great size, it looks completely different to the closer nebulae we usually photograph. You can see huge scoops where dust and gas have been converted into pools of blue stars. Some of them old and wide, some of them younger with moderate pools of new blue stars, and the main bright structure in the process of generating new stars now glowing purple as the red hydrogen and the bright white-blue light of the baby stars merge.

First light with the new observatory, and second light with the new QHY247C colour camera turned out ok!

The QHY247C colour was *not* increased for this result. In fact, I had to reduce the saturation a little. This true colour image is natural.

Celestron RASA 11″
35 x 180s Ha / ZWO1600mm CMOS Mono Camera
11 x 90s RGB / QHY247C CMOS Colour Camera
Total Integration : ~ 2 hours

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EQUIPMENT DYLAN USED
Here is some of the gear this photo was made with. Click for info