South NGC 2070

Emission Nebula, South of the Tarantula Nebula. Dorado, LMC

November 2022. Observatorio El Sauce, Chile

This image captures the region just south of NGC 2070. NGC 2070 (also known as Caldwell 103) is a large open cluster and candidate super star cluster forming the heart of the bright region in the centre-south-east of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is at the centre of the Tarantula Nebula and produces most of the energy that makes the latter’s gas and dust visible. Its central condensation is the star cluster R136, one of the most energetic star clusters known. Among its stars are many of great dimension, including the second most massive star known, R136a1, at 215 M☉ and 6.16 million L☉.

Telescope: Planewave CDK17 (FR) f4.5
Mount: Astro Physics 1600GTO
Camera: QHY16200A/ Integral FW
Guider: Agena Starguide II / ZWO ASI178MM
Filters: Astronomik 36mm LRGB

L: 60×10 mins = 600 mins, R: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, G: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, B: 24×10 mins = 240 mins

Total Imaging Time: 22h 00m

Data Imaged remotely over 4 nights during November 2022.
Imaged from Observatorio El Sauce, Chile, in partnership with Fred Espenak.
Data acquisition & Processing by David Churchill.