Tarantula Nebula
What is Tarantula Nebula?
Nebulae· Distance 160,000 ly. A giant nebula in the neighbouring Large Magellanic Cloud, not in our own galaxy. Though it is 160,000 light-years away, it is bright enough to see with the naked eye. If it were as close as the Orion Nebula, its light would cast shadows.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
Its place in the sky
A nebula, in the direction of Mensa, spanning about 40 arcminutes of sky — 1.3 times the width of the full Moon.
Distance and scale
| Distance | ~160,000 ly |
|---|---|
| Size | ~1,000 ly across |
| Type | emission nebula (in the LMC) |
| Constellation | Dorado |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Discovery and name
SN 1987A exploded on its edge. If it sat where the Orion Nebula is, it would cast shadows.
Supernova 1987A, the star that exploded beside the Tarantula
On 23 February 1987, Supernova 1987A exploded on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula. It was the first supernova visible to the naked eye since the one Kepler watched in 1604. In the southern sky it brightened to about magnitude 3 and looked like a new star for months. A few hours before the light was seen, detectors in three places on Earth caught 25 neutrinos. It was the first time observations confirmed the theory that a collapsing star core releases neutrinos first.
The star that exploded was a blue supergiant. At the time, supernovae of this kind were thought to come mainly from red supergiants, so the theory had to be refined. Since then, the Hubble Space Telescope has watched for years as debris from the blast struck a ring of gas around the star and lit it up. In 2024, an analysis of James Webb observations reported signs of a neutron star at the centre of the remains.
The nebula in depth
The Tarantula Nebula is a giant glowing nebula inside the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is also called 30 Doradus. At about 1,000 light-years across, it is one of the largest star-forming regions among all the galaxies near the Milky Way. Though it is 160,000 light-years away, it is bright enough to see with the naked eye. Thin strands of gas reach out in every direction like a spider's legs, which gave it its name.
At the centre of the nebula is a tightly packed cluster called R136. It holds some of the heaviest stars known. One of them, R136a1, has nearly 200 times the Sun's mass. The strong light and winds of these heavy stars carve the nebula and make it glow. Most of the nebula's brightness comes from the energy of this cluster.
The Large Magellanic Cloud never rises from Europe or the continental United States, so this nebula cannot be seen from there. In the Sky view, switch to a southern city and find the Large Magellanic Cloud; the brightest knot inside it is the Tarantula. From the southern hemisphere it rides high on evenings from November to February. On the size ladder, set it beside the Orion Nebula to compare their sizes.
Frequently asked
- How far is Tarantula Nebula from Earth?
- The distance of Tarantula Nebula is ~160,000 ly.
- What kind of object is Tarantula Nebula?
- Tarantula Nebula is a emission nebula (in the LMC).
- Where in the sky is Tarantula Nebula?
- Tarantula Nebula lies in the direction of Mensa.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.