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Tarantula Nebula
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The inner part of the 30 Doradus Nebula, the most luminous nebula in the entire Local Group of galaxies. It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Active star-forming region around 30 Doradus (Tarantula Nebula) in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
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30 Doradus
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The inner part of the 30 Doradus Nebula, the most luminous nebula in the entire Local Group of galaxies. It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
The inner part of the 30 Doradus Nebula, the most luminous nebula in the entire Local Group of galaxies. It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Tarantula Nebula

astronomy
Also known as: 30 Doradus, NGC 2070
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News •

Something is draining energy from the Tarantula Nebula • Oct. 24, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Earth.com)
Active star-forming region around 30 Doradus (Tarantula Nebula) in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Active star-forming region around 30 Doradus (Tarantula Nebula) in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Tarantula Nebula, (catalog number NGC 2070) immense ionized-hydrogen region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way system (in which Earth is located). The nebula consists of a cloud of interstellar gas—principally hydrogen—lit from within by young, hot stars that ionize the gas around them. As the atoms in the gas recombine, they emit visible light. The total mass of the nebula is about 1,000,000 solar masses, and its diameter is 170 parsecs (550 light-years), making it the largest region of ionized gas in the entire Local Group of galaxies.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
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