Visible Light (upper) and Infrared (lower) Views of Starbirth Region Near Star Cluster R136. These are two views of a highly active region of star birth located northeast of the central cluster, R136, in 30 Doradus. Credit WFPC2 image credit: NASA, John Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and James Westphal (California Institute of Technology) NICMOS image credit: NASA, Nolan Walborn (Space Telescope Science Institute) and Rodolfo Barba' (La Plata Observatory)

30 Doradus Nebula

  • Number 1 is a newborn, compact cluster
  • Numbers 2 and 3 also pinpoint newborn stars or stellar systems.
  • Number 4 is a very red star that has just formed within one of several very compact dust clouds nearby.
  • Number 5 is another very young triple-star system.
  • Most remarkable are the glowing patches numbered 6 and 7, which astronomers have interpreted as "impact points" produced by twin jets of material slamming into surrounding dust clouds. Credit WFPC2 image credit: NASA, John Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and James Westphal (California Institute of Technology) NICMOS image credit: NASA, Nolan Walborn (Space Telescope Science Institute) and Rodolfo Barba' (La Plata Observatory)