Chandra Release - January 3, 2024

Visual Description: 30 Doradus B

Today's release features a spectacular composite image of a large region of space where stars have been continuously forming for the past eight to ten million years. At the center of this complex landscape of brilliant, colorful gas clouds is a supernova remnant. Known as 30 Doradus B, the remnant likely contains the remains of at least two exploded stars.


The entire image is awash in intricate clouds, and swathes of superheated gas. At our upper lefthand corner is a thick, coral pink and wine-colored cloud with a texture resembling cotton candy. At our lower and upper right is a network of deep red clouds that resemble streaks of thick red syrup floating in water. A layer of wispy blue cloud appears to be present across the entire image, but is most evident at our lower left which is free of overlapping gas. Glowing pink, orange, and purple specks of light, which are stars, dot the image. 
 

In the center of the frame is a bright purple and pink cloud, aglow with brilliant white dots, and streaked with lightning-like veins. This is 30 Doradus B, which is delineated by a faint shell of X-rays identified by Chandra. Within this supernova remnant are high energy shocks and winds of particles blowing away from a pulsar.