Apod 4.7 Tentacles of the Tarantula Nebula

The Tarantula Nebula is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud and is the largest, most violent region of star formation in the Local Group of Galaxies. It is also known as 30 Doradus. It is an emission nebula, indicated by its red and pink coloring which is caused by the Hydrogen Alpha line radiation. Supernova remnants and dark nebula also exist there. The brightest region, which is just left of center is called R136 and contains many of the most massive, hottest, and brightest stars known. This star forming region would take up half of our sky if it were at the distance of the Orion Nebula. This is the most detailed image of this region ever taken.