Tarantula Nebula -- Captured by James Webb Telescope
Tarantula Nebula -- Captured by James Webb Telescope
The Tarantula Nebula (aka 30 Doradus) was first noticed in the mid 1700s by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille. Early on, 30 Doradus was treated as the designation of a star or of the center star cluster of NGC 2070. Today, though, it is referencing the entire area of the nebula. The name Tarantula Nebula arose in the mid 20th century from its appearance in deep photographic exposures.
NASA Description: A space image captured by the Webb telescope. Fluffy tan-colored nebula clouds, with rust-colored highlights, surround a black central area. Within that area, the focal point of the image is one large yellow star with eight long thin points. To the right of this star is a bright star cluster in an oval shape. The stars within the cluster look like tiny pale blue sparkles. The cluster is more densely packed at its core and scatters outward. Towards the bottom of the image, multiple arms appear to spiral out of a cloudy tan knob, resembling a spider or a squid structure. Other blue and yellow eight-pointed stars, as well as distant galaxies, are dotted throughout the image.