Star-forming Region NGC 346 in Tucana (optical light) | MPG/ESO Telescope
This is wide-field view of NGC 346—the brightest star-forming region in the neighboring Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy, some 210,000 light-years away from Earth. The light, wind and heat given off by massive stars have dispersed the glowing gas within and around this star cluster, forming a surrounding wispy nebular structure that looks like a cobweb. NGC 346 is located in the constellation Tucana (the Toucan) and spans approximately 200 light-years. This particular image was obtained using the Wide Field Imager (WFI) instrument at the 2.2-meter MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Images like this help astronomers chronicle star birth and evolution, while offering glimpses of how stellar development influences the appearance of the cosmic environment over time. This is an enhanced color image based on three different broadband filters (B, V, R), as well as a narrowband filter (H-alpha, shown in blue). The field of view is about 30 arcminutes wide.
The 2.2 meter telescope at La Silla has been in operation since early 1984 and is on indefinite loan to the European Southern Observatory from the Max Planck Gesellschaft. The telescope time is shared between Max Planck Institute and ESO Observers. Operation and maintenance of the telescope is the responsibility of ESO.
Learn more about the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope:
https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/
Image Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: Feb. 24, 2010
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