NGC2070 - Tarantula Nebula

[hjw]

Another DSO from the Southern Hemisphere. The Tarantula nebula is a part of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Given that it is 160,000 ly away (120 times further than the Orion nebula) it is massive. Wikipedia has some interesting trivia on it: if NGC2070 was as close to earth as the M42 it would take up 30° in the sky. At the same time it would be bright enough to cast shadows.

Capture details: 40 frames @ 300sec (1/3 at ISO1600 and 2/3 at ISO800 over two nights) 10 darks for each setting.

Clear skies!

HJ

[StuartJPP]

Nice one...I was hoping for something similar when visiting South Africa earlier in the year...however it was the rainy season and only managed a widefield LMC instead...

The LMC is a cracking object...so large and easily seen even from fairly light polluted skies.

[laudropb]

Lovely image. Thanks for posting.

[jsmoraes]

if NGC2070 was as close to earth as the M42 it would take up 30° in the sky.

Amazing note !

You was modest, HJ.

You did 2070, 2074, 2077, 2080, 2145, 2085, 2083, 2078, 2079, 2084, 2100. And some ones more.  At least as I know.

( http://jsmastronomy.30143.n7.nabble.com/NGC-2074-NGC-2077-amp-others-td101.html

http://jsmastronomy.30143.n7.nabble.com/NGC-2100-td98.html )

Your wide field of them is very beautiful and with much details. Very nice colors. Congratulations ! 

so large and easily seen even from fairly light polluted skies.

Yes, I agree ...its internal objects aren't easy to photograph although. They are inside of another galaxy. Tarantula is a very large nebula, a giant nursery of stars. Othes are  small and faint.

[hjw]

I thank you all for your kind comments. I do agree that the LMC is a very amazing object. Over the next month or two I hope I can do a mosaic of the whole cloud. I was really keen to do the tarantula though. When I bought my scope earlier this year, the cloud was just moving out of my reach. Now I have to get up at 1 a.m. to start taking pictures. Should be much easier in a couple of weeks time.

Thanks again for looking.

HJ