The Messenger Astronomical Science

Dissecting the Core of the Tarantula Nebula with MUSE

No. 170 (December 2017), 40–44

Authors
  • Crowther, Paul A. [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom]
  • Castro, Norberto [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA]
  • Evans, Christopher J. [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, United Kingdom]
  • Vink, Jorick S. [Armagh Observatory, United Kingdom]
  • Melnick, Jorge [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
  • Selman, Fernando [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
PDF download
Section
Astronomical Science
Abstract

We provide an overview of Science Verification MUSE observations of NGC 2070, the central region of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Integral-field spectroscopy of the central 2 × 2 arcminute region provides the first complete spectroscopic census of its massive star content, nebular conditions and kinematics. The star formation surface density of NGC 2070 is reminiscent of the intense star-forming knots of high-redshift galaxies, with nebular conditions similar to low-redshift Green Pea galaxies, some of which are Lyman continuum leakers. Uniquely, MUSE permits the star formation history of NGC 2070 to be studied with both spatially resolved and integrated- light spectroscopy.

DOI
Bibcode
2017Msngr.170...40C
Dates
Created: 2017-12-01/2017-12-31
Length
5 pages
Rights
Copyright European Southern Observatory

Cite this article:

Crowther, P., Castro, N., Evans, C., Vink, J., Melnick, J., Selman, F.; Dissecting the Core of the Tarantula Nebula with MUSE. The Messenger 170 (December 2017): 40–44. https://doi.org/10.18727/0722-6691/5053