Zooming in Glowing Gas Cloud LHA 120-N55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud | ESO

Zooming in Glowing Gas Cloud LHA 120-N55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud | ESO

This zoom sequence takes us on a journey of 160, 000 light-years to one of our neighboring galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud. In the final image, taken with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), light from blazing blue stars energizes the gas left over from the stars’ recent formation to create a strikingly colorful emission nebula, called LHA 120-N55, in which the stars are adorned with a mantle of glowing gas. Astronomers study these beautiful displays to learn about the conditions in places where new stars develop.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Duration: 48 seconds

Release Date: June 3, 2016

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