The Cosmic Web of the Tarantula Nebula
It is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud , a small satellite galaxy orbiting our Milky Way galaxy, the region 's spidery appearance is responsible for its popular name, the Tarantula nebula . This tarantula, however, is about 1,000 light-years across. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way's Orion Nebula , only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons ) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image shown in near true colors . The spindly arms of the Tarantula nebula surround NGC 2070 , a star cluster that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars known, visible in blue in the image center. Since massive stars live fast and die young , it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula also lies near the site of a close recent supernova .