June 22, 2010
Monster Cosmic Bubble - in the Large Magellanic Cloud
This image shows a composite of the N 70 nebula - a "Super Bubble" in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) satellite galaxy to the Milky Way system, located in the southern sky at a distance of about 160,000 light-years. N 70 is a luminous bubble of interstellar gas, measuring about 300 light-years in diameter created by winds from hot, massive stars and supernova explosions. The interior is filled with tenuous, hot expanding gas. An object like N70 provides astronomers with an excellent opportunity to explore the connection between the life-cycles of stars and the evolution of galaxies. Very massive stars profoundly affect their environment stirring and mixing the interstellar clouds of gas and dust.
Credit: ESO
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